


Pluvia

by jeejaschocolate



Series: Unus et Solus [6]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alpha!Gladio, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Beta/Beta Relationship, Blackouts, Developing Relationship, Difficult Pregnancies, Domestic, Emotionally Repressed Ravus, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Good Guy Gladio, Happy Ending, Kids, Kids as OCs, M/M, Magic, Maternal Instinct, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Miscarriage, Mpreg, Omega Verse, Omega!Ardyn, Omega!Ravus, Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Past Abuse, Plot, Post Mpreg, References to Knotting, References to Sex, Relationships going through difficult times, Romance, Soul Bond, alpha!Noctis, blended families - Freeform, children with special needs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-01-26 15:13:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12560224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeejaschocolate/pseuds/jeejaschocolate
Summary: (Sequel to “Viridis”)Ravus wants this new life. More than anything. It’s such a beautiful life, almost like a dream.But nothing has ever come easy to him. Why would this be any different?





	1. Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Finally getting around to the follow-up fic! Planning on making this the final installment in "Unus et Solus" so it's going to be a few chapters. Gotta wrap all this up :) Our boys over here. 
> 
> Also not planning on a ridiculous amount of smut, it's more about plot at this point, but DEFINITELY MIND THE TAGS. Yeah, again. This is why they make tags ;)
> 
> pluvia: Latin - rain, showers

**Chapter One: Flowers**

“Mmm…” 

Ravus awoke to the feeling of a large, heavy hand on his forehead. A familiar hand by now. Except today…today Ravus’s head felt a little clearer. The fog of heat, need, and desperation had lifted overnight it seemed. 

He hummed into the feeling of having his face gently stroked. Opening his eyes, Ravus automatically searched for Gladiolus. It was his instinct now to look for his **one.**

Naturally, he did not have to look far. Gladiolus was right there at his side, smiling down at him as they laid together on the bed. The Amicitia house had been their mating nest for the majority of Ravus’s heat. Mostly just Gladiolus’s bedroom—although the commander had demanded to be mated on nearly ever surface of the flourishing garden. Against the trees, face down among the flowers, on his side propped up against a thick sunflower. Everywhere they could.

Ravus could smell the freshness of the gardens on his skin. He could also smell himself (the omega scent he recognized as his own at this point) and his **one.** The musk of an alpha’s exertion. The lingering scent of their connection, the tight feeling in Ravus’s chest that told him their souls were inextricably linked. 

Dazed and vaguely happy (he had been happy for quite a while hadn’t he? The feeling itself had not felt strange up until now, as Ravus slowly realized happiness wasn’t usually part of his morning wake-up routine), the omega smiled sloppily up at his **one.** Panic was beginning to sneak around the edges of his thoughts, but Ravus felt calm when he looked at Gladiolus. 

How long had he been here? Ravus wondered. He had no idea what day it was.

“Morning,” Gladiolus rumbled. He tucked some silver hair behind Ravus’s ear and kissed him on the cheek. Sparks of sensation jolted through Ravus’s system. On instinct, he relaxed further into the bed. “How you feeling?” 

“…Alright…” Ravus responded confusedly. He felt like he was wading through mud. His mind and body had gotten so used to pleasure that now actual thought was truly difficult. 

A large part of him wanted to bury his face against Gladiolus’s chest and purr in contentment. Yet, like it or not, his rationality was returning. His temperature felt normal today, not blisteringly hot like he was used to. 

Ravus raised a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. Wasn’t there something he was supposed to be doing? When had he stopped working? Was he on assignment right now or…?

“You ready to go again right now?” Gladiolus licked the shell of Ravus’s eye, his deep voice resonating in every cell of Ravus’s body. “Or do you want some breakfast first?” 

“Mmm…” Ravus smiled and kissed the bridge of his alpha’s nose. He knew without asking that Gladiolus was offering sex. The idea melted Ravus’s core and he thought about giving in, requesting to be taken hard and deep before the sleep even left his system. It would feel so wonderful. 

And Ravus knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if he asked for it Gladiolus would give it to him. He licked his lips hungrily. 

But his assignment….?

Breaking into a frown, Ravus shook his head. Reality came into harsher focus. He knew he was in the Citadel, he knew he was with Gladiolus. But why was he here? How did he get to the Amicitia house and how long had he been there? 

“Hmm?” Gladiolus tilted his head to the side. He rubbed his face against his omega’s, feeling the slimmer man’s temperature and reading the periphery of his thoughts as he was learning to do.

“Oh, your heat is starting to wind down, huh?” Gladiolus remarked as the realization came to him. He pulled back a fraction and gave Ravus an uncertain smile. “Are you…okay?” 

“I’m…” Ravus tried to sit up. His core still felt mushy and weak, and his lower half was sore. He recognized a feeling of emptiness between his legs and behind, some gaping maw that he’d never had before. A yearning to be filled overcame him again and Ravus clenched his fists to keep steady.

What had become of him? 

“Don’t worry,” Gladiolus squeezed Ravus’s shoulder in reassurance. Those hands were so warm…Ravus wanted to lick them. He felt drool pooling in his mouth at the thought of sucking on those fingers. An…unusual desire, to be certain. Gladiolus continued, “Ardyn says it’s normal for omegas to be a little out of it when their heat stops.” 

Ardyn? Who was Ardyn? Ravus thought he recognized the name but he couldn’t place it right now…a myriad of thoughts had begun to swarm his mind. Omega? Oh, right. He was an—

Gasping, Ravus thrashed against the sheets and tried to struggle to his feet. Was he in danger? Had they kidnapped him? He could see the sun when he looked out the window, so that was a good sign. Had Niflheim abandoned him or were they sending a search party that very moment? Could he leave this house if he wanted…would Gladiolus allow him?

His legs were too wobbly to stand. Ravus needed to sit back down on the bed and gather some strength.

“Easy,” Gladiolus crooned, inching closer to the commander. “You’re alright. You’re in the Citadel. My place. It’s safe here.” 

The sound of that croon made Ravus turn his head to look at the alpha. As soon as he laid eyes on the bigger man, Ravus stopped struggling. That face. That familiar body…Ravus found that he knew what this man’s skin tasted like. What his soul felt like merging with his own. Looking at Gladiolus’s face—the scar there, where it should be, the usual stubble, dark around the edge of Gladiolus’s jaw—Ravus suddenly knew everything was alright. 

He was with Gladio. He was safe.

“…Gladio,” Ravus whispered. The name came so naturally. 

He stared deeply into the alpha’s mahogany eyes. Little by little, memories came rushing back to him. Yes, he had come here to settle the matter of Galahd, hadn’t he? He remembered going into heat in the middle of council room—how humiliating! Could Ravus ever face Noctis again now that the spoiled king had seen Ravus at his weakest, howling in desire…? 

That aside, Ravus remembered following Gladiolus here. He remembered their mating—dear gods above, their bond. Ravus clasped a hand to the hollow of his throat. A trembling thread existed in him now, tying him forever to this man before him. It was…overwhelming.

The bite on his neck tingled. Ravus touched it gingerly, pulling away when he felt the prominent teeth marks leftover.

Gladiolus’s eyes flashed as he saw Ravus fiddling with the bite. Chomping his teeth possessively, the alpha rubbed his forehead against Ravus’s face, crooning all the while. Ravus’s thoughts slowed for a moment and he felt something new—an outside sensation. 

Gladio’s thoughts. His feelings.

There was love—so much love that Ravus’s eyes filled with tears. A sense of possession (that was a little…much, but, well). And a pool of concern. Concern for whom, Ravus? Gladiolus was worried about him. He knew all this was new and he did not want his omega to be scared—

Oh.

Overcome with too many new emotions, Ravus cupped his alpha’s cheek and purred. His voice was scratchy and watery, worn from…extensive use, Ravus figured (memories resurfaced of himself throwing his head back and screaming, several times, in many exciting ways. So, yes). 

Gladiolus found his lips. Their connection throbbed as they kissed, sharpening into clarity. The soul bond was real. It was not going anywhere.

“Come on,” Gladiolus whispered, grabbing Ravus’s hand and helping him to his feet. When he leaned on the Shield, Ravus found himself able to stand after all. “Let’s have some breakfast. We’ll take things slow, okay?” 

Leaning into the feeling of a big hand in the small of his back, Ravus nodded. There were not many options, so it seemed. The moment Gladiolus walked ahead of him, Ravus felt an indescribable panic as their soul bond tugged. 

He followed behind the alpha before he could even consider doing anything else. So. If his body would not let him leave this man—and the thought of separating made Ravus nauseous to the bone—then he would just have to follow Gladio’s lead.

They stood in the doorway to the bedroom. Gladiolus paused for a moment, standing there in a pair of tight boxers. He eyed Ravus up and down, amber eyes twinkling. For the first time that morning—and indeed, what felt like years—Ravus realized he was naked. Not a stitch of clothing to his name. He blushed, in spite of the fact that he knew Gladiolus had seen every inch of his body. Knew him inside and out. Down to the last fiber of his being. Even so, it was…slightly embarrassing to walk around nude in someone else’s house. Ravus did not know if he should cover himself or if he had overstepped somehow.

Smiling, Gladiolus went back into the bedroom and retrieved a fuzzy brown robe. It was rather big for Ravus’s thin frame, but it covered him. The material was soft against his skin, warm and almost lavishly comfortable. Ravus wrapped it around himself with quiet relish. 

He sat down at the kitchen table while Gladiolus prepared some breakfast. The alpha was surprisingly adept at cooking, able to manage several tasks at once. He knew his own kitchen like the back of his hand, that much was clear. Ravus watched Gladio with decent fascination. He loved watching this man move. Every sweep of his limbs did something to Ravus’s heart. He could stare for hours probably. Even longer.

“What day is it?” Ravus asked, sipping the freshly percolated black coffee Gladiolus had placed in front of him.

“Mmm, Thursday,” Gladiolus answered smoothly. “It’s been about a week and a half since you came to the Citadel. This is…Day Ten, I think.”

That long?! Ravus’s stomach lurched uneasily. Ten days. Of which he remembered only scattered moments. How terrifying. Anything could have happened to him—except, Ravus knew that he had been only with Gladio the whole time. He trusted that, and he could sense the truth in their bond. 

That wasn’t what worried him. Thankfully. Ravus shuddered to think what would have happened if he had bonded to a less honorable mate. He could only count himself lucky that Gladiolus was some kind of rare, good-natured alpha. A man disinclined to take advantage of a heat-addled omega. Thank Shiva and all the Astrals. 

He wordlessly swallowed the pill Gladiolus had put in his hand without comment. He knew what those pills were. He could sort of remember taking them regularly the past few days.

Glancing at Gladiolus’s bare back, an uncomfortable feeling lodged itself in Ravus’s chest. A mixture of gratitude and…well, Ravus didn’t have names for half the things he was feeling, in all honesty. 

But, general well-being and unwanted pregnancies aside, Ravus was more worried about his position in the Niflheim military. He wanted to ask Gladiolus if there had been any word, but…somehow Ravus could sense that there had been. And he was not quite ready to hear the results. 

He already basically knew what they would be. Storm clouds gathered across his brow. So, life from now on meant…what, exactly? What would he do? 

“Chow time,” Gladiolus announced. He set a steaming bowl of oatmeal on the table, tossing some fresh blueberries into the mix as an afterthought. “You like your oatmeal cut thick and dry, with fresh fruit in it, yeah?” 

Ravus felt his stomach rumble at the delicious sight. He nodded dumbly. Actually that was exactly how he liked this meal, but he had no idea how Gladiolus knew that. Stunned, he spooned some food into his mouth and swallowed.

Oh, the taste. Hot, but satisfying. Perfect texture. Warming Ravus up from the inside out, filling him with substantial energy. Maybe he could face this new reality with something wholesome like this in his stomach.

“It’s delicious.” Ravus did not know what else to say.

Laughing, Gladiolus tucked into a freshly toasted bagel. “It’s nothing special. Just tried to make something I knew you’d like.” 

“How did you know?” Ravus could hardly meet the man’s gaze when they were sitting this close. He might have the urge to crawl into Gladio’s lap if he looked at him head on. 

The alpha smiled. “You told me. Guess you, uh…don’t remember some stuff?” 

Ravus shook his head. “It’s…difficult.” With his hunger taken care of, now all Ravus seemed to remember were instances of Gladiolus bending him in half. Pressing his face against the clean cut grass as the alpha pounded yet another orgasm out of him…

…Why were those the only images coming to mind? Blushing, Ravus finished his oatmeal in silence. 

When they were finished eating, Gladiolus cleared their plates and said, “Alright. Time for a shower, then we can talk about what we went to do next.”

Ravus rubbed his hands together, uncertain what that meant. “Next…?” 

“Yeah.” Gladiolus shrugged and urged the omega to his feet yet again, leading him to the bathroom. “Like, when we’re gonna meet up with everyone else.” 

The others. Noctis. Ignis, the advisor. Who else was there? Well, eventually Ravus would have to speak to Luna…he would have to face the outside world sometime. Like this. Bonded and mated. 

“Shower first.” 

Unrelenting, Gladiolus turned on the faucet and pulled the robe off Ravus. It was hard to put up any kind of fight, especially since Ravus knew he needed a shower. And with his alpha standing so close, stepping out of his boxers, Ravus just wanted to be near him.

The water felt heavenly. Ravus turned his face to the spray and sighed in relief. To his surprise, Gladiolus climbed into the shower behind him and immediately started lathering Ravus with soap. Quickly, efficiently. Touching everywhere without a second thought.

“Up,” Gladio instructed. 

Automatically, Ravus raised both arms so Gladio could clean the underneath parts. As if he had been trained to do that. His body moved so fluidly in the alpha’s hands…clearly, they had done this before. Gladiolus wiped between Ravus’s legs prudently, not even pausing for effect. Just cleaning. 

It occurred to Ravus in a hot rush of emotion that this man had been bathing him and feeding him for days. Not just that—protecting him also, from any wayward vagrants who might be skulking around at the smell of a ripe omega in heat. And…fucking him. Sustaining Ravus with soul-shattering sex on demand as Ravus rode out his first experience as an omega. 

Clearing his throat gruffly, Ravus said, “I can…wash your back. If you like.” It was hardly equivalent to everything Gladiolus had done for him, but it was a start.

Gladiolus bounced his eyebrows interestedly. “Sure,” he answered, and immediately turned around to give Ravus his back. 

Ravus had never washed another person before, but he resolved to complete the task as thoroughly as possible. Taking great care with the washcloth, Ravus scrubbed between Gladiolus’s shoulder blades, spreading soap and water in long strokes. Everywhere he could reach. He wiped the alpha’s ribs and downward, across the bigger man’s buttocks and flanks. 

Gladiolus shivered in appreciation. “Hnh. Feels good.”

At that, Ravus smiled to himself. He liked knowing he had made Gladiolus feel good. So, he could be useful too. Did not need to be quite so helpless all the time. If this small task could make up for everything that had happened during his heat, Ravus vowed to do it again. As many times as the alpha wanted. 

______________________________________

They emerged from their mating nest the following afternoon. Ravus had no clothes except his commander’s uniform, which felt awkward and uncomfortable on him now for some reason. The whiteness of it…Ravus knew that wearing this coat was probably a lie, but he had nothing else. At least the high collar covered his bite mark somewhat. Gladiolus’s mouth was as large as the rest of him—the mark covered such a radius that Ravus could not hope to cover all of it unless he wore a turtleneck sweater every day for the rest of his life. So Ravus had to be fine with leaving some of the mark exposed.

“…Sorry about that…” Gladiolus mumbled when Ravus got dressed for the first time and the damage was obvious. The teeth marks went from the commander’s jugular to his collarbone, as wide as a saucer. The alpha looked legitimately remorseful when he saw it.

“It’s…fine…” Ravus answered, unsure what else he could say. There was no going back now. And even though the mark was painfully blatant, Ravus could not help feeling a sense of pride at the thought that he had been accepted so completely. So wholeheartedly that his virile alpha could not hold back when he claimed him. There was a delicious kind of vanity in that. 

It was not the pride Ravus was accustomed to. This was something else.

Feeling adrift, Ravus asked for the sword he had left behind in the council room. Gladiolus produced it right away. Apparently, Ignis had been making regular stops to the Amicitia house throughout the week, just making sure they were well accounted for. He brought the sword with him once and now Gladiolus was holding onto it for Ravus.

The omega appreciated that greatly. He strapped the sword around his sore waist, feeling some of his normal pride return.

Gladiolus explained carefully that in Lucis omegas did not need to walk several steps behind their alphas. That they were addressed directly. He warned Ravus that the others might be a little “excited” to see him, since he already had a pack and they had been texting him eagerly all week. (Gladiolus had learned a bit about omega life in Niflheim from Ardyn, so he had some idea what Ravus was expecting.) 

They walked shoulder to shoulder through the Citadel. They would be meeting with the king in the sitting room adjacent to the throne room. Not a conference room, this was not a business affair. But then…what exactly was it?

A few people nodded at Gladiolus as he passed. It seemed he had many friends throughout Insomnia. They all peered curiously at Ravus, eyes drawn to the bite mark on his neck. But, they all offered him polite smiles in the end. Uncertain what the correct response was (very few people smiled politely in Niflheim, it was not that kind of environment) Ravus just nodded in return. 

He wished he was not wearing his commander’s uniform. Among the royal black found everywhere in the Citadel, Ravus stood out like a sore thumb.

Noctis growled in the strangest way as soon as he saw Gladiolus. They bumped heads several times, clapping each other on the back like brothers. Ravus did not know what to make of the gesture, but he could smell the pack bond between Gladiolus, Noctis, and Ignis. It was…odd. 

When Noctis turned to Ravus, the omega tilted his chin upwards in defiance. He was not going to bow to this Chosen One who had seen him on his knees, begging to be mated. Hardly! It would be another lifetime before he would ever bow to Noctis, this unworthy king—

But the king just put a hand on Ravus’s shoulder like they were friends. His heavy alpha smell carried a lot of weight, but Noctis did not seem to be throwing it around carelessly. All he said was, “It’s good to see you, Ravus.” 

Of course, that had to be a lie. No doubt Noctis had wanted his Shield to mate with a Lucian—at least someone that had not been an enemy for so long. Basically anyone besides Ravus. But in Noctis’s clear blue eyes there was only recognition. A bizarre kind of excitement. Like…Noctis was genuinely happy for him. 

Ravus remembered when they were children. Noctis had always looked at him with caution, reading his every move apprehensively. The way a mouse does a cat. But now…it felt as if their roles had been reversed.

Caught in a place he did not understand yet again, Ravus just nodded back at the king. 

“Have a seat,” Ignis offered from his place on the couch. “We have much to discuss.” 

Unconsciously, Ravus moved closer to Gladiolus. He sensed no imminent threat here, but he knew the next conversation would be a difficult one. Feeling Gladiolus’s solid presence beside him, his woodsy smell, made Ravus feel a little stronger.

First, they explained that they had already sent word to Lunafreya about what happened. She had responded with joy, promising to visit Insomnia as soon as Ravus’s heat subsided. Of course his sister would be happy for him. She could not understand the pride of a man…though she must know that Ravus was extremely ill at ease here…didn’t she?

He could not know for sure until he spoke with her in person. 

Then they finally spoke of Niflheim. About three days after Ravus went into heat, a small party of soldiers and officials arrived in the Citadel inquiring after their high commander. When they’d heard nothing, they got suspicious. Naturally when they arrived, what else could Noctis tell them except the truth? As soon as they realized the state of things, the officials turned on their heels and marched out.

Several days later they received an official letter from Niflheim military command, addressed to Ravus. Because he was otherwise occupied, Ignis opened it on his behalf. 

“The ensuing debrief was…as expected,” Ignis said, nodding seriously. “We had been prepared for this since our first experience with his Highness the King Consort.

King Consort? Who the hell was…oh, right, yes. The Chancellor. Ravus remembered very well.

So, then.

Ravus took the letter and read it for himself. The ink and the smell of the paper sparked his memories—yes, this is what his own office had smelled like. Back in Niflheim. Nostalgia and a brief sense of homesickness shook him. Ravus despised that office with a passion, but. At least it was his. That was where he belonged. Everything here in the Citadel was so new and strange…Ravus longed to be back in the dark, high walled office he had hated for most of his adult life.

The letter was quite clear: _This letter shall serve as sufficient notification that one, Ravus Nox Fleuret, has been dishonorably discharged from service in the Niflheim army—_

He could not say he was anticipating anything less. This was the natural way. It made sense. Ravus would have done the same for anyone else in his position…

…but still, the paper crinkled in his shaking fists as Ravus fought the anger swelling inside him. His vision went red, then throbbed. Those unimaginable bastards were just going to throw him away…did they have even the first clue what Ravus was responsible for? The place might very well crumble without him! How utterly reckless…

And there, in the face of such blind hatred, went everything Ravus had worked for his entire life. Gone. Before Ravus even knew what was happening.

He closed his eyes and swallowed the pain in his throat.

Then he heard a deep, angry growling from alongside him. He turned to see Gladiolus shaking with rage. “Gods damn Nifs…too fucking stupid to see the nose on their own shit-eating faces!”

The amber eyes Ravus loved so much were wet with fury. Gladiolus was mad as hell. Now Ravus had a sense of what made Gladiolus so dangerous, though he’d always sort of felt this kind of violent angst inside his **one.**

“How dare they treat their commanders like that?!” Gladiolus roared, smacking the letter with the back of his hand. “And then they have the balls to call themselves an army? That’s no army, it’s a fucking clown show—”

“Yes, sociopolitical climate in Niflheim is subpar, Gladio, as we know,” Ignis rushed to say. Gesturing downwards with his hands, as if to encourage his friend to relax. “But let’s remember, we’re a fair number of miles away from Gralea, are we not?” 

“Tch…” Gladiolus rubbed his face, trying to expel the lingering anger. “They better hope it stays that way…miles away from what I’ve got for them…” 

Ravus did not know how to feel. His anger at being discharged had been somewhat cowed by his **one’s** passionate response. On the one hand, Ravus felt destroyed by everything he had learned in the past ten minutes. On the other, he wanted to curl up to Gladiolus and purr softly in the bigger man’s ear. Ease his alpha’s rage by showing how much it meant to him that Gladio cared so much about his honor…that Gladio saw him as nothing less than a commander even after everything they’d been through…everything he’d seen Ravus do in the throes of heat…

Hesitantly, Ravus put his hand on Gladio’s knee. He was staring at him curiously, at a loss for words (was this going to be his normal thing now?). He wanted to purr, could feel the response bubbling automatically in his throat, but he didn’t want to do it in front of Noctis and Ignis. Fortunately, Gladiolus solved the problem by crooning loud and slow, pulling Ravus’s head to his shoulder and sending pulses of his aura through their bond. A heavy, comforting feeling. 

_You’re too good for them,_ Ravus heard Gladiolus’s thoughts. _I’m glad you’re not theirs anymore._

_Thank you. My love…_ Ravus tried to answer, but he could not tell if Gladio heard him or not.

“I’m sorry about the way this turned out, Ravus,” Noctis said openly. “But, just so you know, we can offer you a comparable position in the Crownsguard. Or the Glaive.” Noctis glanced away awkwardly. “I know it’s not the same, but…it’s there anytime you want.” 

Gladiolus nodded against Ravus’s forehead. “That’s right. It’s your call. In the Glaive you have to deal with Nyx. He’s kind of a prick, but he’s alright. And in the Crownsguard you can lead your own division but you won’t see much action. Either one is a good choice.” He cupped Ravus’s face in adoration. “We’d be lucky to have you.” 

“And it’s…normal for omegas to join military ranks in Lucis?” Ravus asked, more dull and irritated than he intended. 

“Yeah, we’ve got a couple omegas around here,” Gladiolus answered (undaunted by his **one’s** surliness). “Good fighters, all the ones I know.

At that, Ravus was completely speechless. He’d never heard of such a thing before.

Noctis shrugged pointedly. “Well. The offer’s there if you want it.”

“I…thank you…” Ravus stammered, holding his **one’s** hand and glancing around the room. He was beyond the point of overwhelmed, but it occurred to him that they might be waiting for an answer. “I’ll…need some time to think it over.”

“Of course.” Ignis pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. “In the meantime, feel free to make yourself at home in the Citadel. Prompto is on his way over with some casual clothes in your size. If they’re not to your liking we can find others.”

“Yep.” Noctis nodded with a smile. “Just let us know if you need anything.” 

Honestly, Ravus had no idea who Prompto was. But he did not care enough to actually ask, either. This was a tiring experience. More than anything, he wanted to go back to the nest and rest his eyes for a few hours. Maybe work up the nerve to call Luna. Try to put his head back together somehow, figure out his next steps.

On their way out, Gladiolus said, “Hey, let’s go over here for a sec. Wanna check something out.” 

Ravus was really not in the mood for a forced meet and greet with more people, but he was also too tired to argue. So, he followed his alpha wordlessly until they came to large open room. Glancing around, Ravus could tell it was some kind of training grounds. Well-stocked by the look of it. 

Not that Ravus knew what on Eos they were doing there.

Smiling excitedly, Gladiolus stepped into the middle of the room. He summoned a two-handed sword from his magical arsenal (or Noctis’s, to be accurate) and tested his grip. 

“So, uh…” Gladiolus turned to his omega. “How’s your sword arm?” 

“…What?” Ravus frowned, unsure what the other man wanted from him. 

Gladiolus shrugged. “Well you’ve got that sword swinging around your waist. And I know you know how to use it. Wanna go for a few rounds?”

“Rounds…?” Ravus glanced at his sword and back to his alpha. “You mean you use real swords during training? Not wooden ones?”

“Well.” Gladiolus swung his sword in the air over his head, settling into a defensive stance. “I’m not scared, if that’s what you mean.” 

Such foolhardiness! Were Lucians really so soft they had nothing to fear by using real swords during practice? Were they never in any danger? At all, ever?

Ravus knew he was being challenged. Needlessly dangerous and probably a bit stupid. But he sort of liked it. In reality, Ravus was extremely curious to see what kind of a fighter his **one** reallywas. A brawler or a tactician? A little bit of both…? 

“I accept,” Ravus said, breaking into a smile. He unsheathed his sword and took an experimental swing. 

The blade felt so good in his hand. As they fought, Ravus’s body quickly remembered how to move with dauntless grace. The strength he had beaten into his own body returned, brimming underneath the surface like a hard-earned secret. More than a few times, Ravus overpowered Gladiolus when they went head-to-head. He thought perhaps his alpha was going easy on him to spare his pride, but the look of honest shock on the Shield’s face said otherwise. 

Ravus could best him in a fight. And, similarly, once Gladiolus gave it his all, Ravus could fall to his alpha’s brute strength. They were evenly matched in many ways.

It was such a relief to the former commander. Knowing that his body still worked the way he remembered. That he had not been stripped of his physicality, even though he had been stripped of his title. And that he was not dwarfed in power by the man that would be his alpha from then on. 

He was still himself. Best of all, Gladiolus respected that. Perhaps even liked it. The lascivious grin on the alpha’s face spoke volumes.

Towards the end, when their strength was running out, Ravus’s hand slipped and he accidentally cut Gladiolus on the chin. Not too deep, but enough to send a light stream of blood to the training floor. 

Dropping his sword immediately, Ravus ran to his love. “My apologies! I thought you would dodge, I didn’t mean…!” Heart on fire, Ravus held Gladiolus’s face in his hands and pressed his sleeve to the wound. 

Might this be the end of their short-lived relationship? What alpha would want to stay with an omega that could actually hurt them, even by accident? Such an omega was useless as a mate, honed for nothing except fighting—

But Gladiolus just chuckled and downed a quick potion. “Wow, that blade’s pretty sharp,” he commented. “Watch where you swing that thing, yeah?”    
“I…will, I’m sorry.” Ravus could not stop touching his alpha. He would do anything to show his remorse, to show that he really was grateful for everything Gladiolus had done for him—was _still_ doing—and that he would never in this lifetime purposefully hurt such a beautiful man.

Except, Gladiolus did not seem the least bit angry. He bumped Ravus’s forehead with his own—like an alpha would to another alpha—and said, “Next time let’s use the wooden swords, though. For real.” 

Next time? A flood of endearment washed over Ravus. He was swept away. 

“Agreed,” he replied, slotting himself into Gladiolus’s arms. 

From that moment on, it was clear that Gladio saw Ravus as an equal. Although so much of Ravus’s old life had been ripped away by this omega experience, he could latch onto the notion that his alpha would never treat him as anything less than a man. Respect mixed with love. Something Ravus had not known even as a beta.

A kind of affection Ravus wanted to work hard to deserve.

____________________________________________

The clothes Prompto brought him were alright. (And Prompto himself, a blond sprit de vivre, was…alright. Ravus could smell the pack bond on him too.) Mostly black t-shirts and khaki pants. Some blue jeans. Things Ravus had seen in magazines but hardly ever worn himself. There was also a stylish black collar Ravus could wrap around his neck to cover his bite mark. It only covered the middle third of the mark, but that was enough.

As Ravus settled into the idea of being Gladiolus’s mate, he found that he was actually bursting with pride over the mark. This was a special connection he had with his mate. Whether people saw it and thought it lewd or whatever, Ravus did not care. He felt an indescribable joy every time he thought about the wealth of love his alpha had for him. He wanted to learn how to live with joy.

Such a foreign feeling.

After a day or so, Gladiolus needed to return to his daily duties as leader of the Crownsguard. Ravus was not ready to decide his own path in life, so he and Gladiolus parted ways for the day. It hurt, at first, but Ravus had only to look inside himself to feel the pull of their connection. It was unbreakable.

“You call for me and I’ll come running,” Gladiolus promised. There would probably be no need for such dramatics, but the idea made them both feel better all the same. 

Ravus took the day to wander around the Citadel. He had never had free reign of the place and he had to admit a certain level of curiosity. What made Insomnia the land of kings, after all? The library? It was pretty spectacular. The architecture? Ancient and breathtaking, to be sure. The artwork? Notable. But what else was there, really…?

As he walked aimlessly through the corridors, Ravus detected something out of the ordinary in the air. A pleasant, slightly memorable pastry scent. Mixed with a strong, heavy bouquet of flowers.

Flowers? What were flowers doing in the middle of the Citadel? They did not fit with the austere atmosphere.

Following his nose, Ravus came upon a brilliant open air garden in the middle of the grounds. Sunlight streamed in from the open skylight. Flowers, some rare and exotic species that Ravus had thought were extinct, burst to life across the sprawling pavilion. 

And there, reclining amongst the flowers, was a man Ravus had expected never to see again in his lifetime. 

Ardyn sat on the grass, hands busily weaving together some flower stems. Ravus smelled him before he saw him, but once he entered the garden, he knew he would not leave until he spoke to this man. There was Ardyn, luxuriating in the flora, as carefree as any man could be. Dressed in a lavish robe-like garment with a scarf, undoubtedly to cover his claiming mark.

What the hell could Ravus say to this man? Were their experiences at all similar? Had Ardyn somehow managed to adjust to this Lucian life? To…being an omega? 

Also, what was this man? Ravus had never fully trusted him, nor ever learned his real motives. He stood on the edge of the gardens behind Ardyn, waiting for the former chancellor to make the first move. 

Then, out of nowhere, there was a rustling among the leaves of the nearest Vesper rose bush. Ravus heard a strange squealing sound and watched as a tiny child emerged from the flowers. His eyes were clear and blue—the same as Noctis’s—full of some wistful emotion Ravus had never known the word for. Something specific to children. The wisps of the boy’s auburn hair flounced through the air as he tottered on unsteady feet. 

“Papa!” the child cried. “Red! Red-da!” 

He brandished a Vesper rose (notoriously thornless and vivacious) in one hand and bounced over to Ardyn. 

“Ah, well done, my dear.” Ardyn’s voice sounded the same as Ravus remembered. “Bring it here so I can thread it properly.”

Ravus watched as Ardyn worked the rose into the circular pattern. He was starting to feel like he was intruding—clearly this was the King consort and the crown prince, and Ravus was staring so brazenly, but he had not expected a garden as beautiful as this. Nor to find them here of all places—

“Come on, Ravus,” Ardyn called over one shoulder, not stopping his hands as he spoke. “At least sit down. No need to stand there like a stranger.” 

Found out, Ravus slowly walked over to the unlikely pair. The child watched him carefully the entire time, peering around his papa’s shoulder. Observing the stranger’s every move from a safe place. 

Ravus chose to sit cross-legged on the grass. He thought about just sitting on the bench, but. It seemed strange to be the only one not on the ground. Especially with the child watching him so closely. 

Finally Ardyn regarded him head on. Staring with those wide golden eyes Ravus used to distrust so vehemently. His face looked much the same as the former commander remembered, but Ardyn was definitely…older. Crow’s feet spread out from the corners of his eyes. Wrinkles and lines outlined the lower half of his face, in the usual places. There were also thin strands of grey working their way through Ardyn’s thick crimson hair. 

Ardyn had aged. Well, it had been almost seven years.

Sensing no danger when he cautiously sniffed the air, the small child teetered into a sitting position closer to Ravus. Still staring so intensely. 

“How time flies.” Ardyn smiled at the silver-haired omega, narrowing his eyes as if remembering something. “It feels like only yesterday since I last saw you. If you remember.” 

Astrals, how could anyone forget a scene like that? Hadn’t their last meeting been the day that Ardyn turned? The time he furiously scented Ravus to try and stave off his oncoming heat? Unless…? 

“…I do,” Ravus replied hesitantly. “And it’s…been a while.” 

Ardyn shrugged noncommittally. “I suppose.” He looked back at Ravus, glancing down at the partially concealed bite mark on his neck. He smiled again. More of a smirk this time. “You’re looking well.”

At that, Ravus blinked and stiffened his lips. He felt like Ardyn was making fun of him—as he always did when speaking with this man (so some things never changed at least). He wanted to come up with some retort, but that never seemed to work when Ardyn was around. Usually Ravus just defaulted to silence.

As he was doing now.

Suddenly the child interrupted loudly by pointing to Ravus and saying, “O-orrjin?” 

Ardyn chuckled under his breath. “Yes, darling. He smells like oranges. No need to throw it in his face.” 

Ravus huffed, definitely sure he was the butt of some joke. But honestly, it was difficult to take his eyes off the child. He was a curious mixture of both Noctis and Ardyn’s features. A strange melding of the two. And those eyes were so intense Ravus felt like the boy could sense something Ravus could not. A kind of preternatural ability, perhaps.

How unsettling. Even so, Ravus felt drawn to this boy in some way. He did not know how. Or why.

“Please forgive him,” Ardyn said flippantly, putting down the wreath of flowers. “This is my son, Karus. He’s only eighteen months old and he’s just learned the colors. Well, nearly. We’re still working on social niceties.”

“It’s alright,” Ravus said, even though he had a feeling Ardyn was not sincere in his apology. Still, something about Ardyn seemed less threatening now that there was child with him. Some evidence of humanity.

“We spend most of our time here,” the older man explained. “In the gardens Aulea left. Karus is fond of the flowers. And these little crowns I make.”

Oh, so it was a crown. Ravus could see that now as Ardyn placed the wreath of flowers on top of Karus’s head. The boy squirmed in delight, clapping his hands and missing a few times in earnestness. In spite of himself, Ravus smiled at the cute picture that made.

Normally he had no love for children. Even his niece and nephew Ravus found somewhat tedious. They were both on the higher end of the energy spectrum. Rowdy at times. Noisy. This boy Karus was sitting with his papa like a small adult. 

“There. You look lovely. It suits you, my dear.” Ardyn fluffed his son’s hair in the back so it did not tangle in the stems. 

Taking off the crown, Karus curiously turned it over in his hands a few times. “Boo?” he asked, frowning slightly.

“No, there are no blue flowers this time of year, I’m afraid.” Ardyn stretched languidly. 

“Mmm, boo,” Karus remarked thoughtfully. He looked over at Ravus and held out the crown. Uncertain what to do, the former commander just sat there. 

Stringing together some more inane babble, Karus ambled to his feet and waddled over to Ravus. Before the omega could respond, Karus plopped the crown of flowers onto Ravus’s head. He stepped back to admire his handy work. Seemingly pleased, Karus clapped his hands again.

“Mm, I’ll admit, it looks nice on you,” Ardyn commented. He looked sufficiently amused. Ravus did not even want to think about how ridiculous he must look. “The roses bring out the blush of your cheeks. Quite fetching. You should wear that tonight when you go home to your alpha.” 

Embarrassed, Ravus slid the crown off his head. He tried to pass it back to Karus, but the boy was already onto something else. Chasing a tiny line of ants across the grass.

How had it come to this? The two of them sitting there? Both omegas, both Niflheim outcasts? One with an improbable child—whose very existence belied the truth of their newfound lives. The reality staring Ravus in the face should he chose to accept it: Child bearing.

“So, tell me, Ravus.” Ardyn turned to look at him. “How are you faring?”

His meaning was clear. It was the first time someone had asked him that question since he turned and Ravus found himself utterly unable to answer. “I…” but he trailed off and shook his head.

Ardyn scrutinized the younger man’s face for a moment. Then he nodded in understanding. “Well. It’s only been two weeks. Give it some time.” 

Ravus closed his eyes. He felt a wave of emotion rise up in his chest. There was still so much grief inside of him for this old life. And it wasn’t even such a good life! Except that it was Ravus’s. He’d worked hard for what he had. It was habit. He hadn’t broken his spotless performance record in twenty years of serving the military. Even though the Niflheim army was corrupt and insidious, Ravus was proud of his accomplishments there. He felt as if something had been stolen from him.

“You miss who you were,” Ardyn responded for him.

Ravus nodded silently. He bit his lower lip. He would sooner die before he started crying in front of Ardyn, but…he was getting there. 

“It’s alright to grieve for what you lost,” Ardyn continued, turning his face away to pick some more flowers. And to give Ravus some much needed privacy. “It would be strange if you didn’t. But remember to look to the future. Your life here can be quite enjoyable. If you allow it, my dear.” 

Ravus wiped his noticeably wet eyes against his shoulder. Were these omega hormones working their way through his system? Or was he just more emotional now? He had been eating more regularly. Being well-fed (on Gladio’s food no less) put him in an uncomfortable frame of mind. He was so used to scraping by on the bare minimum. 

Now he had so much. 

“…Gladiolus is a good man. I’ve never doubted that,” Ravus commented tangentially. He needed to say this. It had been eating him up ever since he realized how much his alpha truly cared for him. “I…want to be worthy of him.”

“Oh, you poor sweet man,” Ardyn tsked. “You will be. In fact, I think you’re perfect for him. Just remember to take a stroll outside that beautiful head of yours every once and a while. Really talk to him. That makes all the difference, trust me.”

To be fair, Ravus was so far removed from being open and honest with anyone in his life. He needed to relearn all of that. From scratch.

But he would do it. For Gladio. At least, he could try. 

They passed the rest of the afternoon together. Ardyn prattled on about life in the Citadel. Things to look out for, certain things that Ravus might find useful as he moved on. Even though he did not respond very often (which Ardyn was probably used to), Ravus really did appreciate the help. He listened the entire time, watching Karus play as they spoke.

As the evening came, Gladiolus found them in the gardens. “There you are,” he said, strolling up to the three of them with an easy grin.

“Gladdy!” Karus cried, running to him at full speed.

“Hey, kiddo.” Gladiolus scooped the boy into his arms, resting the tiny body against his hip. There was clear love in his eyes. Ravus’s heart beat wildly as he realized how much Gladiolus must care for this child—the youngest member of his pack. A bond as close as family. 

Distraught all of a sudden, Karus pointed to the deep cut on the bottom of Gladiolus’s chin. The place Ravus had accidentally slashed him the night before during the sparring session. 

“Ouch,” the young boy commented.

“Yeah, ouch.” Gladiolus winked at Ravus mischievously. “But it doesn’t hurt anymore.” 

“Mmm…” Still frowning, Karus placed on hand on the Shield’s chin. Gladiolus sighed for a moment, as if he knew what was coming.

While they watched, a particulate golden light spread from Karus’s hand. It looked warm. Not unlike the healing light of the Oracle, although Luna worked entirely with the Scourge (which was now mostly defunct). When Karus pulled his hand away, the cut on Gladiolus’s face was completely gone. 

Remarkable, to say the least. Ravus had sensed some sort of…ability from this child.

And after all, he was the product of a double strain of the Lucian king’s magic. Mixed with Ardyn’s own healing magic that he had possessed once upon a time. There had never been a creature like Karus before. A descendant of two kings. It stood to reason he would be special in some way, Ravus supposed. 

Rubbing his face, Gladiolus laughed while Karus beamed with happiness. “Thanks, kid.” 

“Yes, I fear he’s becoming self-aware,” Ardyn commented, rising to his feet. “He makes a game out of picking the flowers and then healing them back to full flourish. If you were wondering why it seems the garden has tripled in size, that would be the reason.” 

Gladiolus huffed a laugh and shook his head. “Right, so. Don’t let him torture the flowers. Next step is you and Noct gotta teach him some restraint.”

Ardyn took Karus from Gladiolus and tilted his head to the side facetiously. “Some what?” 

“Yeah, great. Work on that.” Gladiolus turned away to regard Ravus with a beaming look of affection. 

Ravus wanted to jump into the bigger man’s arms at the barest hint of such a look.

“Ready to go home?” Gladiolus asked.

“…Yes,” Ravus replied. He wanted to work on his tone. It occurred to him that he almost always sounded like he was speaking to other generals. A force of habit. But right now it was just Gladiolus. He had to be able to speak normally…although, what was considered normal? 

“Until tomorrow, then, dear friends,” Ardyn commented with a casual wave.

“Bye-bye!” Karus called, waving in kind.

Ravus waved back to the child before he could stop himself. Suffice to say, he appreciated Karus. Abilities or no, the child had a likable way about him. Ravus wouldn’t mind spending more time with him and Ardyn in the future. 

_________________________________________________

At night, the two of them slept in the same bed. The first few times, Ravus forced himself to roll onto his side—back facing his alpha—and promptly go to sleep (even if it took him more time than that, Gladiolus always fell dead asleep in moments, so Ravus did not have to pretend for long).

He did not want to bother Gladiolus with the things he was feeling. The persistent desire he had to stare at his alpha. He wanted to lay face-to-face, but then he would be too tempted to kiss Gladiolus. And the night was surely the worst time for Ravus to start such a thing. The alpha needed his rest, after all. Ravus had been enough of a burden to the man’s normal schedule for the past two weeks. He didn’t want to rob him of comfortable sleep on top of it all.

Although. Being close to Gladiolus made Ravus’s body ache. The smell of his **one** , the sheer weight of his presence…it drove Ravus to such intense distraction. He still felt empty most of the time. There was a nagging ache somewhere deep inside him now that longed to be rubbed and fucked. He wanted Gladiolus to fuck him again. Slow and steady. Or fast and torturous. Anything. Only…he just wanted it to happen. Ravus could get wet thinking about it—which was embarrassing to say the least. Wetness was an inevitable part of his arousal now. Something else he could not hope to hide.

But Gladiolus had not made any sort of sexual advances on Ravus since his heat subsided. Possibly, Gladiolus was the kind of alpha who was not attracted to certain people unless they were in heat. Maybe men were not Gladio’s regular type. Or maybe…Ravus himself was not so appealing. That would hardly be news to him.

Supposing that were true, it wouldn’t be so bad. Heats happened every month, didn’t they? Ravus could wait. 

Besides, Ravus should figure out why the hell he was so attracted to Gladiolus in the first place. He had never been into men before—so why did the shape of Gladio’s body make him sopping wet if he stared for too long? Sometimes Ravus put Gladiolus’s hand on his chest while they laid together. He came close to climax a few times, just by forcing Gladiolus’s sleeping hand to rub his nipples—not even a lot. The barest touch.

Sleeping together was painful, but Ravus could endure.

Finally one night, as they laid down to sleep, Gladiolus wrapped Ravus in his arms and inhaled the omega’s mated scent gland deeply.

Ravus moaned before he could stop himself.

“You want something, don’t you?” Gladiolus rumbled, nibbling the former commander’s earlobe.

“I…!” Ravus curled one of his legs around the alpha’s waist. Revealing just how wet and hard he was.

Gladiolus growled at the intoxicating scent of omega arousal. “Oh damn, you’re turned on. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You….” Ravus glanced at the clock. It was already late. Gladiolus should really get to sleep before he pushed himself too hard. (After all, Ravus was still passing his days in languor with Ardyn, trying to figure out what he wanted from this life. He could not bring himself to join the Lucian military so quickly after a lifetime working against them. So, he was untethered.) 

“Do not concern yourself with me,” Ravus said quickly, pulling away from his alpha. It hurt and he could not hold back a quiet whimper. “I’ll be fine.” 

“Huh?” Gladiolus sat up. They waited for a few moments, then he said, “You…wanna tell me what this is all about?”

Ravus really did not. He had no desire to talk about it. He did not know how to explain that Gladiolus’s body had become a sexual fixation for him. That he fantasized about being taken by the Shield day in and day out. Nothing in Ravus’s life had prepared him for that kind of confession.

But then, he remembered Ardyn’s words. _Really talk to him. That makes all the difference, trust me._

Well. He had vowed to make an attempt, hadn’t he?

So. 

“Of course I’m attracted to you,” Ravus spat angrily. Tone, he reminded himself. He needed to cool his tone! “You’re my **one** and I’m an omega.” 

The truth was obvious enough. And no, his tone had not gotten any better.

“But you…” Ravus wrapped the blankets more tightly around himself. “…don’t have to feel responsible. I understand that you may not be attracted to my body if I’m not…in heat. And, that’s fine. I can keep my desire under control.” 

Gladiolus absorbed that for a second. Then he burst out laughing.

Offended, Ravus tried to scoot off the bed altogether. He had no desire to be ridiculed! After such a moment of honesty that had not come easily to him—

“Oh, man.” Gladiolus threw Ravus back down on the bed and hovered over him. Ready for sex. “It’s crazy. I can hear your thoughts and everything, but sometimes I still have no idea what you’re about to say.” 

He kissed Ravus’s face messily, spreading the omega’s legs wide enough to fit himself in between. In seconds, Ravus was about to lose all the careful control he’d been clinging to for days. Gladiolus was dominating him and it felt so good. He wanted Gladiolus to take him, as he should have been doing this whole time! The way Ravus really needed!

“Listen,” Gladiolus said, licking the bite mark on his mate’s scent gland. “Don’t go deciding stuff like that on your own, okay? I love you. You’re the most beautiful fucking thing in my life. I could fuck you all day and all night, every damn week of the month if you let me. So. You don’t need to worry about that. I was holding back because I didn’t want to freak you out.” 

Ravus thrashed beneath his alpha. It turned him on so much to hear that. He wanted his body, such as it was, to be appealing to Gladio…!

“And I know this is a lot,” the Shield whispered in his ear. “I know. But we have to work together, okay?”

Gripping the headboard above, Ravus nodded violently. Gladio was right and Ravus had been wrong. He knew that now. He would do better. He would…he just needed to be fucked so badly right now…

“One day at a time, babe. Let’s just take it one day at a time.” 

Ravus thought that sounded reasonable enough.


	2. Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes hardship comes first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might be getting a little personal here, but I'm sure people have figured out that these stories are pretty personal to me and such. So yeah. My husband and I are in a place where we're getting ready to have kids together. But I'm kind of a nervous wreck about the whole thing?? And this series has a lot of my pre-parental stresses kind of all wrapped up together. We can chat more about the details if you really want to know lol. 
> 
> But at least everyone should know this: TRIGGER WARNING FOR DIFFICULT PREGNANCIES. Tags, all the tags ever.

**Chapter Two: Rain**

_“It’s beautiful, Gladio,” Ravus said dreamily, staring out into space._

_Gladiolus had just knotted him for the millionth time during Ravus’s first heat, only this time they were in an actual bed. The sun had gone down hours ago, so it was better to be indoors (although in all cases Ravus much preferred to be fucked on the grass). While they lay together, connected inextricably, waiting out the time until Gladiolus’s knot subsided, Ravus started talking about his childhood in Tenebrae._

_“When the sun sets, the sky doesn’t turn to black right away.” Ravus could see the image from his boyhood in his mind’s eye. Blissed out and cared for, he just wanted to tell Gladiolus everything. “No. The mist from the forests rises up and makes everything seem a bluish green color. One I’ve never seen anywhere else.”_

_Listening attentively, Gladiolus nuzzled his mate’s neck and hummed in interest._

_“As it gets dark…” Ravus buried his fingers in Gladiolus’s hair, smiling at the memory and the comfort of being lavished with such attention. “…the trees relax somewhat. Like they’re resting. Waiting for the sun to rise the following morning. Patient, bearing the wisdom of their age.”_

_Ravus had such respect for the trees in Tenebrae. Though he never told anyone this, not even Luna. Most people might find it odd for a man to look at nature in such an old fashioned way._

_He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Gladiolus would understand._

_“When I was a boy,” Ravus continued. He paused to kiss the side of Gladiolus’s face. “The trees were my greatest comfort. I never had many friends, but being in the company of the forest made me feel like I was among likeminded individuals. People who could withstand the test of time. And when my kingdom fell…” He took a deep breath. “…the trees were the only thing to survive. As whimsical and majestic as ever.”_

_“Hnh,” Gladiolus remarked. “Sounds pretty nice.”_

_Ravus’s smile widened. “Yes. Tenebrae and its forests mean a great deal to me.”_

_He sighed wistfully, feeling some of Gladiolus’s knot diminish. Automatically, Ravus latched harder onto the member inside of him, not wishing for this peaceful moment to end. Not just yet. He didn’t want to have to face the emptiness that came when Gladiolus inevitably pulled out. If only they could linger together a little bit longer…_

_“I wish you could see it, Gladio.” Ravus embraced his mate’s face with both hands. “I know you would appreciate the beauty of Tenebrae. A sight like no other.”_

_Gladiolus kissed his love’s cheek. “Then we’ll go. Together. You can take me there, anytime, and show me everything. I’d love to see it.” Another kiss. “Let’s do it.”_

_Elated by his_ **_one’s_ ** _eagerness, Ravus chuckled under his breath. “Yes, alright. We will. For now, come here.”_

_Pressing their foreheads together, he conjured a strong picture of the forests at night, hoping their souls’ connection was strong enough to convey the image to Gladiolus as well._

_“That’s it,” Ravus whispered in the close space between them. “That’s my home. Do you see it?”_

_“Mm, yeah. I can.” Gladiolus was smiling too now. “Bluish green, I see what you’re saying. And fireflies too, huh? Real nice.”_

_Grinning, emotions running higher than he could ever admit, Ravus wrapped himself tighter around Gladiolus. “That is what you are to me. Home. Like nothing else I’ve ever…”_

_Gladiolus withstood the tight embrace. He even returned it, crooning in his chest to show how much that meant to him. He wanted to be Ravus’s home. He wanted to give him everything._

_“It’s an honor,” Gladiolus rumbled._

_At that, Ravus positively preened in satisfaction. Latched together, they reveled in the feedback loop from their bond._

Every so often, memories of what happened during that first blissful heat returned to Ravus. Sporadically. Not in order. Mostly in dreams. A great deal of those memories were humiliating. (Why on Eos had Ravus admitted all those embarrassing details of his boyhood to Gladiolus—where had his shame gone during that hellish heat?!) So, Ravus chose not to bring them up to Gladiolus in the light of day.

Still. In spite of all the shame, Ravus held each memory close to his heart. That was Gladiolus in his best light: Responding to his omega with nothing but love, no matter how embarrassing the revelations. Although Ravus would never discuss the explicit details, he would never choose to forget them either. He adored seeing his **one** like that.

So, he cherished the dreams in silence. Observing Gladiolus day in and day out. Understanding the depths of his mate’s love more and more each day. 

_________________________________________________

After a few months languishing around the Citadel—adjusting to his new situation—Ravus felt comfortable asking for a career in the Lucian military. He took Noctis up on his offer and assumed a role as Commander in the Crownsguard.

It was not nearly as awkward as he feared. Instead of challenging him to a contest of strength, the soldiers under his command seemed to be afraid of him. Regardless of his omega status. They tiptoed around Ravus, following his orders to the letter from the first day onward. Unheard of by Niflheim standards. In Gralea, most captains—and certainly most commanders—had to undergo a trial period in the eyes of the recruits. A chance to prove their mettle and deserve the (somewhat fickle) loyalty of the group. But the Crownsguard recruits had nothing but respect for Ravus right from the start.

He found out why eventually: Apparently some recruits had been spying on him and Gladiolus during their sparring sessions. None of them had ever seen Gladiolus bested in fight like that, time after time. Dwarfed in strength by some tall, foreign devil…

Ravus had even earned a nickname around the barracks: ‘White Daemon.’ Not the most imaginative of names, to be sure, but…respectable enough, he supposed. Far better than some of the more pejorative names that had stuck to him in the past. (‘Virgin Blade’ was popular for a while. Also ‘Wrought Iron’, an allusion to the way the Niflheim soldiers joked that Ravus had an iron rod jammed up his—well.) So yes. Ravus would accept the strange nomenclature for the time being.

Little by little, the anxious atmosphere in the Crownsguard barracks settled down. Especially once they witnessed the genuine camaraderie Gladiolus and Ravus shared, no matter how hard they went at each other during a spar. More than once, Ravus was invited to social gatherings the members of his team held on off hours. Drinks and food and such. Ravus turned down many of those invitations at first, thinking them some kind of forced courtesy. But he could not decline every time—even he knew that was rude. So he went, grimacing on the inside all the while.

To his surprise, it seemed the soldiers actually liked having him around. They were proud to be led by someone as strong as Ravus. They clapped him on the back and drank rounds with him. Asking about his experiences in Gralea, battle stories Ravus was comfortable sharing. They could all see his claiming mark, Ravus gave up hope of ever covering the thing completely, but they did not remark on it. No one even raised an eyebrow. Alphas and betas alike clinked his glass in respect—to say nothing of the handful of omegas in the barracks, who looked at Ravus like some kind of Astral-sent holy warrior. He had a stronger following than he realized among many of the soldiers. Even became something of a role model for them.

Over time, Ravus had to learn how to be around people. How to listen to stories he was not particularly interested in and offer commentary. 

He learned. 

Every passing day he spent with Gladiolus was a teaching experience all on its own. They developed their own routines, ways of being around each other when it seemed like Ravus would rather be anywhere else in the world. Gladiolus never pushed, to his credit. And Ravus never pulled away completely. They made it work.

Gladiolus worked in his garden whenever the weather allowed. Fascinated, Ravus assisted without being asked. He wanted to sow beautiful things with his love, watching the dirt cling to Gladiolus as if it was meant to be there. The flowers bursting to life. These toilsome afternoons spent under the sun were the highlight of Ravus’s life—he hoped Gladiolus knew that.

Everyone else slowly warmed up to the idea of their bond as well. Luna was ecstatic. Almost…disrespectfully so. She spoke of her secret wish to see Ravus happy, living and loving whomever he pleased. It was embarrassing for a brother to hear from his little sister, but. She was genuinely overjoyed. And his life was good now. Not nearly so lonely (which took some getting used to). It was difficult to complain about it. 

Iris was a wonderful sister-in-law. Ravus took to her early on. Despite being an alpha (like all Amicitias, apparently) she was not overbearing. She knew how to give Ravus space and also how to drag him out of his shell when he really needed it. If Ravus ever had questions about Gladiolus that he was too shy to ask himself, he could always go to Iris. He liked that about her.

Their pack was also…interesting. He learned their history and habits. The way they liked to camp in the middle of the woods for no real reason. Just enjoying each other’s company. It seemed Noctis, Ignis, and Gladiolus had formed the pack bond first. Then they let Prompto in when he and Noctis became friends in school. Over time, Ardyn had joined as well, as Noctis’s omega. Now the five of them were comfortably balanced. With little Karus running around as the center of everyone’s attention.

Ravus decided he would spend time with them. He did not necessarily feel obligated to join their pack bond, but. They were entertaining to be around. And Ravus never minded being asked to watch over Karus. Ardyn and Noctis appreciated that about him. 

Slowly, Ravus realized that Ignis and Prompto (both betas) were in their own sort of relationship. Not a soul bond obviously, but a regular romantic affair. They held hands around the campfire. Kissed when they thought no one was looking. Ignis clearly adored Prompto from head to toe. And Prompto gleamed underneath his boyfriend’s meticulous attention. 

They worked rather well together. Ravus had never seen two men voluntarily in a relationship outside of a soul bond, so he had some curiosities. But it seemed their happiness was not at all compromised by the fact that they were both betas. 

“Iggy and Prompto have been together a while now,” Gladiolus explained to Ravus in private. “Think they’re gonna stay that way.”

“What if…” Ravus swallowed as he remembered the anxiety he used to have about being turned into an omega. “…they meet their soulmates sometime in the near future?”

Gladiolus just shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. If it happens it happens. No reason to give up what they got now. Besides, soulmates are usually pretty understanding of stuff like that. Relationships people have beforehand and that kind of thing. If they get bonded, then…who knows. It might make them even stronger together.”

“Hmm.” Ravus would not admit that he had no idea what Gladiolus was talking about. A romantic relationship with more than two people? How on earth did that work?

Luckily, it did not seem like Prompto or Ignis would meet their heavens-chosen alphas any time soon. And truth be told, they did not seem to care. 

________________________________________________

Time revealed the fact that Gladiolus and Ravus were actually more suited to each other than one would think. Dynamically speaking. And…sexually.

Gladiolus’s ruts were incredibly difficult—he spoke of them like monstrous affairs he was thankful only came a few times a year. Ravus at first thought his **one** was exaggerating, until the time came. And, yes. He quickly saw what Gladiolus meant.

Holy hell. 

Gladiolus became a nightmare at the apex of his rut. He knew enough to sequester himself at the first signs of an oncoming episode, otherwise he would try to pick a fight with whomever came into view. Noctis, Ignis, Prompto, even Ardyn—they all had stories of Gladiolus trying to take them on. Ravus learned that sometimes the best thing for his mate during those times was to spar with him. Roughly, without holding anything back. Let Gladiolus tire himself out, unearth the wealth of alpha aggression built up inside. Until the only thing left within him was the all-consuming lust that naturally came with a rut, and with a soul bond as tight as theirs.

Many times, Ravus and Gladiolus would spar for hours before Gladiolus’s aggression finally subsided. After that, Ravus would prepare to be mated right on the floor of the training grounds (thankfully the Amicitia house had its own sparring chambers, because they often rode out Gladiolus’s ruts there alone). Sweaty, sticky, dripping with pheromones and adrenaline, Gladiolus would mate Ravus until neither of them could walk. Incoherent with pleasure, Ravus presented to his alpha and let Gladiolus take whatever he needed. 

Clearly, Gladiolus required Ravus as his omega. Who else was strong enough to spar with him until his violent instincts ran out? What other omega could face Gladiolus without fear—for Ravus truly was not at all afraid of his **one** —and offer his body to ravage? 

Who else trusted Gladiolus as fiercely as Ravus?

Although he always felt bashful and a little guilty after coming out of a rut, Gladiolus made sure to shower Ravus with affection once his time of the month had ended. He waited on the commander hand and foot, massaging fucked sore muscles and cooking all of Ravus’s favorite foods.

So. It wasn’t terrible, Ravus would admit. 

On the other hand, Ravus’s heats were much more unpredictable. Spotty and uneven. Sometimes Ravus could go a month and a half without having a heat, sometimes he only lasted three weeks. In the same way, some of his heats were quite mild. A few days where Ravus needed to be mated perhaps once or twice a day, nothing serious. Other heats were…dangerously intense. Sometimes Ravus lost himself so fully to the desperate arousal of his heats that he completely blacked out. Much like the first time, except this happened over and over again. He would lose himself for days, only coming back after at least a week. Waking up to a very exhausted and worried Gladiolus.

It was not…normal. They both knew that. At first they both thought Ravus’s heats might even out on their own (he was a man in his late twenties after all, still in the prime of his life). But after over a year of completely erratic heats, they decided to go to the doctor.

The Citadel doctors ran some tests on Ravus and determined that the lymphatic parts of his omega body had not developed properly. It was a rare sort of condition that came about when a person experienced inconsistent nutrition as they were growing up. Much more common for omegas who turned in their adulthood after a lifetime of poor health, especially men whose omega pheromones had a tendency towards instability to begin with.

It made sense. Much of Ravus’s youth had been spent in captivity, after Tenebrae fell. ‘Poor nutrition’ did not cover the half of what the young boy had experienced (more accurately, food was earned, not given freely). When Ravus finally proved his worth as a solider, he needed to whip his body into peak physical condition. Of course he had succeeded, at great cost to his health it seemed. Such rigorous training and inconsistent eating habits did nothing for his omega body.

Once he explained his history, the doctors were not surprised by the diagnosis. They prescribed him some pills to take to help balance his thyroids, but there was not much else they could do. In addition, Ravus could not continue to take birth control since it aggravated his condition.

They would have to risk pregnancy every time they mated. Although, the doctors warned Ravus that his fertility would be very weak on its own, so they probably did not have much to worry about. Whenever they did decide to get pregnant, Ravus would need to undergo a variety of treatments.

Overall, the news was not great.

“I…” Ravus said to Gladiolus when they arrived home after hearing the test results. He felt numb. Not surprised, really, since he’d always known there was something inherently wrong with his body. But. He did feel guilt. 

“I’m sorry, Gladio.”

“Hm?” Gladiolus looked up from the stovetop where he was heating up some leftover dinner. “What are you sorry for? Not like you did anything wrong…”

But he had. Ravus had been ruining his body for years before he met Gladiolus, never knowing the extent of the damage until this moment. Now he would forever be a burden to the Shield. Demanding attention during inconsistent heats, to say nothing of his uselessness as an omega…

“Listen.” Gladiolus sat at the table across from his **one.** His face was uncharacteristically ashen and serious. A dark crease ran down the center of his forehead, like a hint of rage or deep sadness. “If this is the way it is, then we’ll deal with it. Whatever happens, whatever we need to do. It’s all fine by me. I just…”

Gladiolus closed his eyes, turning away from Ravus with a look of frustration. Ravus prepared himself to hear a litany of reasons why he needed to take his health seriously. To be brought to task by his alpha, as he deserved. After all, an alpha probably had little patience for an omega who treated his body so poorly—

Instead, Gladiolus said, “I just wish I could have been there when you needed me.”

Ravus’s heart gasped and fluttered in his chest. He felt what Gladiolus was feeling—his own subdued brand of guilt at the idea that he could not protect his omega when he was younger, a victim of abuse. Ravus had thought he put all the pain of that abuse behind him. Years and years ago. But now here it was, grim and fresh across his **one’s** face.

He gripped Gladiolus’s hands with both of his own. 

_I still need you._ Ravus spoke into the thick connection of their bond. He hoped Gladiolus could hear him.

He did.

_Then I’m here._

It sounded like Gladiolus’s voice, kind of. But it was darker. More solid. Indescribable to the ears, but so wonderful inside Ravus’s head. That was him. Speaking across their bond.

They smiled at each other. Sweet but just a little sad. Then they remembered their dinner and Gladiolus quickly got up to finish cooking. 

They carried on. 

Ravus’s heats evened out a little, though not by much. Accepting what they could not change, Ravus and Gladiolus learned to live with it. Their bond strengthened to a viscerally telepathic level—uncommon for most. Whenever an unexpected heat overtook Ravus, he needed to call out across their connection and pray that Gladiolus heard him. Over time, Gladiolus learned to tune his senses sharp enough that he could hear (and feel) Ravus’s cry even over great distances. The Shield would excuse himself from whatever he was doing and race back to their house. Often he would find Ravus on the ground in a puddle of his own slick, begging to be mated. Speechless and thankful that Gladiolus had come for him.

Whenever Ravus had one of his blackout heats, the most difficult part was making sure they both stayed well-fed and hydrated. Sometimes Ravus refused to let Gladiolus up for well over a day. Not to bathe, eat, or drink. The alpha risked tiring himself out quite regularly. Fortunately, Gladiolus had a good deal more stamina than most alphas (yet another unforeseen compliment of their relationship). Even so, sometimes Gladiolus needed help dragging Ravus off of him just so he could get a glass of water. Or a bite of food. 

This presented a problem. During these mind-scrambling heats, Ravus’s pheromones were so intense that no one could come near him. Certainly not other alphas (they might lose their composure and descend into rut themselves) nor other betas (even Ignis’s mind went foggy when he showed up at the Amicitia house once during such a time). But Gladiolus still needed help managing Ravus. Badly, sometimes.

So, the only person they could rely on during these times was Ardyn. Being an omega, he was fairly immune to the power of Ravus’s pheromones. Not to say that they didn’t effect him at all (Ardyn was still a man, in point of fact). But he could handle the extraneous kind of arousal that attacked him whenever he arrived at the Amicitia house. 

Ardyn taught Gladiolus little tricks to help Ravus calm down when he was completely unaware, slobbering and wordlessly crying for another round. He held one of Gladiolus’s used shirts to Ravus’s face, letting the omega inhale his alpha’s scent. It distracted him just long enough for Gladiolus to get away for a moment. 

“You poor thing,” Ardyn clucked, stroking Ravus’s sweat-soaked hair (his skin burned to the touch). “Don’t let yourself get too far, now…” 

But of course, Ravus could not hear him. His eyes were unfocused, glazed. Lower half drowning in slick. Limbs akimbo. Panting hard. The only sounds he could make were the occasional, “Gl…!” A plea for his alpha to come back. 

Ardyn also taught Gladiolus to massage the hidden scent glands in Ravus’s wrists and the insides of his thighs. Sometimes that helped Ravus get to sleep when he was in the throes of a particularly nasty heat. Ardyn would provide the couple with some easily reheated meals. Plenty of cold towels to soothe Ravus’s fever. The King Consort even found a particularly helpful sex aide—a dildo with an inflatable knot that Gladiolus could use to satisfy his omega when the Shield simply had nothing left to give (sometimes the heats were extreme enough that they got there). 

When all else failed, Ardyn propped Ravus up in his arms and let Ravus scent him. An omega scenting another omega was an intimate thing—most omegas gave each other good distance, not intruding on the privacy of one another’s bond. It was an unspoken rule. But the sweet, hormonal scent Ardyn provided was sometimes the only thing that calmed Ravus down. After days upon days of insatiable need. Ravus would squirm in Ardyn’s arms and scent him, slowly beginning to purr as the omega hormones worked their magic. His fever dropped a few degrees and he fell into an uneasy sleep.

Ardyn might have minded. Even a few years ago, he would have capitalized on the position and ridiculed Ravus just a bit when the commander came to his senses. But having kids made Ardyn so damn soft. So fucking…well, maternal, he supposed. Seeing Ravus completely helpless like that, longing for a mother figure, someone to sustain him through the agony of such a blistering heat…what the hell else was Ardyn supposed to do? He had to care for Ravus. It was part of his nature now.

“Hush,” Ardyn whispered to Ravus, combing his fingers through the tortured omega’s hair. Like soothing his son through a sleepless night with a bad cough. “It’s alright. Just rest.” 

Gladiolus told Ardyn many times that he could not thank him enough. Truthfully, Gladiolus would not trust anyone else to see Ravus in that state. It had to be someone from his pack. He was never more grateful for Ardyn’s presence than at those times. 

It strengthened their friendship. More than a little bit.

So, sometimes when Ravus finally came out of these blackout heats, he was laying sloppily over his deflated alpha. Sometimes (rarely, but still, it happened) he was curled up in Ardyn’s arms. With no memory of what came before, Ravus could only mutter some vague apology. 

Chuckling, Ardyn glanced towards Gladiolus’s sleeping form to indicate how exhausted the man had become trying to tend to his love. 

“Look what you’ve done to your alpha, dear,” Ardyn hummed, rubbing the back of Ravus’s head. “You’ve completely worn him out. He needed some assistance.” 

Feeling a distinct kind of glow in Ardyn’s arms, Ravus pieced together what must have happened. To say he felt embarrassed would have been an extreme understatement. This was a time when Ravus truly had no desire to remember moments from his heat—if some resurfaced, he stuffed them back to the bottom of his mind. No reason to go there.

But Ardyn laughed the whole thing off. “When you’re feeling up to it, be a darling and make us some tea, will you?” Then, yawning, Ardyn finally let himself shut his eyes, loosening his arms around Ravus so the man could do as he pleased. 

Even though Ravus hated being ordered around by Ardyn of all people, he obeyed. He knew that he owed them both that much. And the relieved look on Gladiolus’s face, seeing Ravus back to his senses at last and pouring some tea, was well worth it. 

It was time for Ravus to nurse Gladiolus back to health.

Eventually Ravus became accustomed to Ardyn’s presence. If he saw the former chancellor when he awoke, he knew he had just been through a particularly bad round. A sign that he needed to get up and get right to work taking care of Gladiolus. 

Ardyn found that endearing. But he usually left Ravus and Gladiolus alone as soon as the omega was on his feet. No reason to intrude too much. Besides, he needed to wash off the smell of another omega before Noctis saw him. He didn’t want his alpha getting off on any smell but Ardyn’s own.

_______________________________________________________________

When Karus turned three years old, Ardyn and Noctis announced to their pack that they were having another baby.

“Seriously, man?” Prompto asked incredulously. “Thought you said there was no force in heaven or hell that could ever make you—”

“Yes, well,” Ardyn interrupted. Unamused. “Life goes on, hmm?” 

“Congratulations, your majesties,” Ignis replied quickly. There was an honest gleam of excitement in his eyes that not even his glasses could hide. “I’ll make the necessary arrangements in the kitchens for you, Ardyn. Same as before.” 

Gladiolus hugged both Noctis and Ardyn in turn, beaming with happiness. Ravus did not know what to do, exactly, so he just nodded respectfully in their direction. 

Another child. Ravus stared warily at Ardyn. He would need to observe any changes in the other man so he could know what to expect for himself when the time eventually came…

…because even though Gladiolus was amazing at hiding it, Ravus could sense the truth. Gladiolus was a little jealous of their friends. It had been painfully obvious since the beginning how much Gladiolus wanted kids. He spoke of it often, even after they got the disappointing news about Ravus’s fertility from the doctor. 

Things like, “I can’t wait to show our kids how to plant sunflowers. It’s harder than you would think, but they’ll get the hang of it.” Or, “When we have a baby, I’m gonna make sure the kid knows how to wield a broadsword by the time they’re four. Well, maybe five. We’ll see how long it takes.” 

“That’s ambitious, my love,” Ravus would remind him. Trying to reign his **one** in just a bit. 

“Nah,” Gladiolus tutted. “I was throwing a sword around back when I was like three! And with both our genes? That kid’s gonna be a monster on the field.” 

The Shield could not wait for children. He loved Karus, was a fantastic uncle and caretaker (for Ravus, too). Bearing a son or daughter to be the next Shield was his lifelong responsibility and it seemed that Gladiolus had been imagining the intricacies of the task for quite a while. If only to himself. Because Gladiolus would never push Ravus too much. He could sense that Ravus was not ready. And he was patient when it came to waiting out his omega’s feelings. 

But when Ardyn gave birth to a lovely daughter, a black-haired beauty they named Hope, Gladiolus could not hold back the question any longer. 

“When do you think you’ll be ready?” he asked Ravus finally. In the dead of night, after an afternoon spent visiting Ardyn and Noctis in the hospital.

Expecting this, the commander took a deep breath and turned over on their shared bed. “I…don’t know.”

Gladiolus waited a moment. Then he continued, “So like, maybe next year? Or the year after?” 

“I don’t know,” Ravus repeated.

This time the silence lasted a little longer. 

“…Why?” Gladiolus’s voice sounded much thinner than it ever had before.

The muscles in Ravus’s body clenched in anxiety. How could he explain this? It wasn’t Gladiolus’s fault that he didn’t want to. It was more that he…just did not feel adequate enough to bear children. His body was a mess. Most heats he could not pass unless another omega came to help him. Or else he just shivered a little and that was it. How could he even call himself a real omega? They had been having sex without protection for years and Ravus never got pregnant. Not so much as a scare. 

“Are you certain that we even can, Gladiolus?” Ravus barked. Surlier than he intended. But the pain he had been harboring around the subject came through loud and clear.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around Ravus’s stiff figure. Gladiolus waited until his love relaxed somewhat naturally, in the warmth of his embrace, before he said, “ ’Course I’m not. How could either of us know for sure what’s gonna happen?” 

At least Gladiolus was realistic about that much.

“But,” the alpha continued. “I think we should try. I want to. I mean, we owe ourselves that much, right? Just to try?” 

A glimmer of hope welled up inside Ravus’s chest. If he was being completely honest with himself, he wanted children too. He wanted to give Gladiolus the child his love had been waiting for. He wanted to raise a tiny human that looked and smelled just like Gladiolus. Maybe a little like himself. He wanted to excavate a piece of joy from this body that had not known anything like joy until Gladiolus came into his life. He wanted to show love for a creature that could love him in return. To teach himself how to be a mother, like his own had been. So perfect and strong...

Yes, Ravus wanted children. It was the truth. 

Eyes shining with tears, Ravus curled closer to Gladiolus. “I…can’t promise that I’ll be a good parent. Or even that it will happen at all. It’s just so difficult—”

“Tch, yeah,” Gladiolus answered with a dry laugh. “No shit. None of this is easy, babe. But they say that the good things in life are hard, don’t they? I mean, being a Dad is probably the hardest thing I’ll ever do, but—”

“You’d be a wonderful father, Gladio,” Ravus rushed to say. He needed his love to know that. 

“…Thanks.” The alpha kissed the back of his love’s neck. “So, let’s start trying? Doesn’t have to be now, but…soon? Especially since there’s probably a lot we have to do first. Better get started early. Yeah?”

Ravus thought for a long moment. Finally, he relented. “Alright.” 

Overjoyed, Gladiolus gathered Ravus up in his arms and rolled them over on the bed. Kissing every inch of the omega he could reach.

It felt good, and they made passionate love after the fact (Gladiolus was way too riled up to hold back), but Ravus’s instincts were telling him to be wary. He knew, with every part of his being, there was going to be a lot of pain before they saw this through.

That was just how Ravus’s life went.

__________________________________________

“So, here is the list of treatments we recommend. To start.” The doctor laid two pamphlets in front of them, indicating which procedures they should schedule next. 

Overall, it would be four procedures for Ravus and one for Gladiolus (more of a preliminary screening for the alpha to test his fertility). They consisted of rounds of injections, in various parts of Ravus’s body (his scent glands mostly). Jumpstarts to his hormonal systems. Spread out over the course of several weeks. Ravus would also need to supplement the injections with a litany of pills, each one with its own exciting variety of side effects. If all that failed, there were some more complicated procedures they could go through. 

“But let’s begin with these, just to test the waters a bit,” the doctor said with a smile. He was very reassuring—the same obstetrician that Ardyn and Noctis had seen for both pregnancies—but Ravus wondered if he knew how embarrassing this was for him. As an omega. As someone who wanted to be useful to his alpha—

“How soon can we start?” Gladiolus asked. His jawline was set with determination. Focused only on the results.

Ravus loved that about him. The way Gladiolus could push all the nonessential things to the side. He wanted to emulate that same strength in himself. The injections did not scare him (even the ones to his thighs) but he was worried for his pride. Being in the hands of so many doctors.

“Today, if you like,” the doctor replied cheerily.

“Okay. Sign me up.” Gladiolus picked up a pen, looking for where a place to put his signature. 

Laughing good-naturedly, the doctor supplied the necessary forms. When they were finished signing, Ravus reached for his alpha’s hand under the table.

_You’re brilliant,_ Ravus commented through their open connection.

_Thanks, champ,_ Gladio replied. _Have fun with those injections for me, kay?_

Ravus sighed. At least his alpha was in a comfortable enough mood to joke about all this.

The screening proved that Gladiolus was exceptionally virile. Their biggest obstacle was Ravus’s own unstable lymphatic system, which made it difficult for his body to sustain a viable pregnancy for more than the first three weeks. The doctor alleged that it was possible Ravus had in fact been pregnant before and just never noticed—because his body had not had time to form the essential parts that would give any kind of sign.

How horrible, Ravus thought to himself. The idea that there may have been life inside of him before now and he had never realized—Ravus closed his eyes and prayed dearly that the doctor was wrong. He hated to think that his body could beget and discard life so frivolously. 

The injections themselves were nondescript. The doctor commented that he was used to seeing people recoil when they saw the size of the needle, but Ravus did not care about any of that. He was still working through the shame of the idea that Gladiolus’s virility was being wasted on a body like his.

“It’s normal to feel a little pain…” the doctor warned.

But Ravus was used to physical pain like that. He just wanted this to work, to ease the worry in his heart. 

________________________________________________

Everyone in the Citadel waited with baited breath to see what (if any) kind of mysterious magical ability Hope would possess. Like Karus’s medical science-defying healing powers. Soon enough, the Glaive and Crownsguard began taking bets on how Hope’s double-dose of Lucian DNA would manifest itself. 

By the time the girl was a year old, she could walk with the grace of a much older toddler. Nearly as graceful as Karus, who was already four. Beyond that, she had a curious habit of staring intently at the sky whenever she was out in the open air. As if she could see something no one else could. 

When Hope concentrated especially hard, her papa-gifted golden eyes focused on the heavens above, people swore the wind picked up. Once, Noctis said he thought the clouds were moving a little faster than normal. A stiff breeze knocked some branches from the trees overhead. 

Curious. 

Meanwhile, Ravus and Gladiolus waited for the treatments to work. They were not especially open about the fact that they were trying (they did not want people to keep asking and asking about it, just in case nothing came of it). Only their pack knew. And they were smart enough to be discreet, not so much as dropping hints of curiosity unless either Gladiolus or Ravus mentioned something first.

About six months after the round of injections was finally complete, Ravus made a delightful discovery in the shower. That is to say, delightful in that he could pinpoint the reason behind the sudden presence of a fleshy hole nestled delicately behind his balls—not so wonderful to find that he had acquired some newly female anatomy.

Gladiolus was beside himself when Ravus told him. In between the frantic hugs and kisses, the barrage of open-mouthed scenting and touching that his alpha needed to go through, Ravus thought he saw Gladiolus’s eyes water ever so slightly. 

He would be lying if he said that didn’t make him proud. To bring such clear joy to his alpha. Ravus glowed with satisfaction. A hint of a smile on his lips. Content with the secret of some new life inside of him, waiting to be born.

They went to the doctor right away. He congratulated them and scheduled Ravus for an ultrasound. Seeing the tiny black comma-shaped dot on the screen, the indication that Ravus was pregnant with Gladiolus’s child, well. Ravus teared up. He touched the screen wordlessly, wishing he could feel something against his fingers. Gladiolus buried his face against Ravus’s neck and sent a diatribe of praise across their connection. 

It felt so wonderful.

Two months into his pregnancy, Ravus developed a habit of jotting things down in a little notebook that he kept with him at all times. Things he wanted to teach his child. Nothing especially significant. Mostly little bits of Tenebraen history he had learned in school. Since it was clear that their child would attend school in Lucis, Ravus wanted to make certain that they knew everything about their Tenebraen roots as well. Even if it meant he had to teach them himself—which he would gladly do. He also went a little easier on himself during training. Not wanting to risk even the slightest harm to the tiny fetus, even though the doctor said it would be alright. 

The kind of happiness and excitement Ravus and Gladiolus were going through was impossible to hide. Their pack mates guessed the truth after a while, and then it was out. 

Everyone was so excited for them. Ignis offered to put Ravus on the same diet he did for Ardyn if his nausea got too bad (but the nausea was nothing Ravus couldn’t handle). Prompto volunteered to babysit—getting ahead of himself a little. Most helpful of all, Noctis took Gladiolus aside and explained the ups and downs of pregnant life to his friend. Gladiolus absorbed it all—especially the bits about how he could help Ravus get comfortable by licking him in…certain places.

And. Ardyn embraced Ravus with the kind of warmth the omega had gotten used to feeling from him during his unmanageable heats. Before Ravus even knew what he was doing, he was scenting Ardyn and purring blissfully. In front of the pack.

How shameful! Ravus did not know if everyone else knew how Ardyn…helped out during Ravus’s blackouts—but either way, now they must think them deviants!

“Whatever you may need,” Ardyn rumbled in Ravus’s ear. “You can always come to me.” 

“Yeah.” Prompto rested his head on Ignis’s shoulder and smiled. “Same goes all around. You’re part of the pack! So we all want to help.” 

“Indeed,” Ignis followed. 

Oh. So this was…what a pack bond felt like? Not just his strange connection to Ardyn, but also the feeling that the others would be happy as long as Ravus himself was happy? 

How strange. Somehow, before he even got pregnant, Ravus managed to secure himself some type of family. 

___________________________________________

“Rain.” Karus pointed to the rain hammering the window outside their playroom. He was trying to teach Hope some basic words, since it seemed his sister was stubbornly refusing to attempt any kind of speech. Not even the basics. 

“That’s rain, Hope. Can you say ‘rain’?” 

The young girl was sitting on the floor with her hands on the windowsill. Staring with unyielding intensity at the rain as it fell. 

Karus sighed. He wanted to make Daddy and Papa happy by showing them that Hope could talk after all. He knew they were worried about that. 

“Come on. Just try…"

Suddenly Karus noticed how the hammering on the windows had suddenly stopped. He looked outside to see that—miraculously—the rain had suspended in midair. As if frozen in time. Held in place while the rest of the world continued on.

“Whoa…” Karus’s blue eyes widened in amazement. He looked back at his sister and noticed that she was smiling wickedly. 

He understood it all in a flash.

“Wow, Hope! Did you do that?”

His sister broke out into a giggle. She blinked and the rain unfroze, continuing to fall as before. It was amazing!

Karus clapped his hands in delight. He even hugged Hope, although he knew she normally didn’t like that (she was somewhat averse to touching of all kinds). When she squirmed away from him with an aggravated yelp, Karus decided to try another approach.

“What else can you do?”

______________________________________________________

The pain came about four months into his pregnancy. Ravus was at work, briefing the new recruits on the basics, when suddenly he felt a searing kind of soreness in his abdomen. Like he had been kicked or punched. He clenched, expecting more to come. What he did not expect was the strange trickling feeling between his legs.

He hurried to the bathroom and found his boxers soaked with blood. 

Everything inside of him seized. He knew what this was. Dear Shiva, he knew. He fucking _knew_.

Hands shaking, he reached for his cell phone and called an ambulance. 

Gladiolus met him at the hospital. Sure enough, Ravus had miscarried. Some unfamiliar doctors broke the news, leaving the couple alone when they had said all they could. 

The silence between the two soulmates was worse than any kind of pain.

“Are…you alright?” Gladiolus asked, uncertainty in his voice. 

“I’m fine.” Ravus looked away, staring out the window at the falling rain. 

“You sure? It looked like a lot of blood, I mean…” 

“Yes, Gladio. I’m alright.” 

Ravus stuffed everything he was feeling to the very bottom of his soul. All the rage, disappointment, shame, and deep sadness. He pushed it to the very bottom. Somewhere he hoped Gladiolus could not sense. 

After a few more minutes of silence, Gladiolus took the hint. He went to go talk with the doctors a little more.

Only when his **one** was out of the room did Ravus allow himself to cry.

_______________________________________________ 

The doctors suggested they try another round of the same treatments. They argued that it had worked once before, so why not again? This time they would keep Ravus on the medication a little longer, see if that helped.

Ravus nodded and went through it all again. His heart was so confused. He did not know how to grieve for the child he had already lost. There was no mourning period for things like this, was there? Since the child had never really existed in the first place. Besides, he and Gladiolus had no way of talking about their feelings after the miscarriage. Their connection did not stretch into the well of emotions both of them harbored for the lost baby. Like those particular feelings were surrounded by some impenetrable wall. Or barbed wire. They were keeping those thoughts to themselves.

Sure enough, Ravus found himself pregnant a few months later. Gladiolus’s face collapsed in relief when Ravus told him. 

“Oh, that’s great!” Gladiolus said with a huge sigh, smothering Ravus in a tight hug. 

Ravus loved the feeling of his alpha’s strong arms around him. There for him, when he needed. Like before. Like during his first heat when everything seemed possible and wonderful. 

Maybe things would get better now.

But Ravus was definitely more cautious with his joy the second time around. He did not carry around that stupid notebook (seriously, that was tempting fate, wasn’t it? Planning that far ahead…). Everything he wanted to teach he could recite from memory anyway. Likewise, he decided to abstain from the usual military training exercises. What if the reason he miscarried the first time was because of his exercises? Had it all been because he overexerted himself, yet again? Had he been eating properly…?

Ravus played it safe this time. He tried to keep the secret from his pack mates too, but Ardyn could tell. Those facetious golden eyes could suss all kinds of things out of Ravus’s stoic face. They agreed to keep it a secret among the two of them, though. Since Gladiolus did not want to spread the news around either.

It turned out to be with good reason.

This time Ravus miscarried after only two months.

It happened at night. Ravus woke up with horrible cramps. A familiar feeling. He rushed to the bathroom, hands between his legs. When his fingers came away bloody, Ravus let his heart sink into the ground.

Again.

“Everything okay?” Gladiolus called from the bedroom.

Ravus wished he could stop all feedback from their connection. He did not want Gladiolus to have to suffer this along with him. He did not even want to tell Gladiolus the bad news. Maybe he could lie and let his **one** enjoy a few more hours of blissful ignorance. Thinking his dream a reality. 

But alas. That would be impossible.

“No. Call the doctor, Gladio.” 

___________________________________

The doctor stared at Ravus’s test results with a serious face. The normal reassurance was gone. The office felt colder than normal, not just because the season was turning to winter outside. Or maybe that was the reason. Ravus was not so in tune with his body these days.

He had let two children die. Was he secretly a monster? A true daemon? Something covered in muck and ichor…anathema to the secret of life?

“Hmm.” The doctor shuffled his papers again. “Well, we could try the same treatments one more time.”

“…Isn’t there anything else?” Gladiolus asked. His shoulders were tense. Bordering on anger.

“Yes.” The doctor pulled out more pamphlets. “There are more invasive procedures we could try. But I have to be honest, these are very expensive. And, ethically speaking, I must tell you….unfortunately these procedures have a very low success rate with male omegas.”

Gladiolus rubbed his face with both hands. Exhausted. 

“And there’s nothing else?”

The doctor sighed. He drummed his fingers against the desk a few times.

Ravus wondered if this body deserved to bring a life into the world. Maybe this was the Astrals way of telling him the truth. He was not worthy. 

“…We could try the injections again. This time I can prescribe a different set of hormonal supplements. A little more intense, with some more severe side effects. But it’s something we haven’t tried yet.” 

Gladiolus turned to Ravus. There were dark circles under his beautiful brown eyes. “What do you think?”

Already resigned to failure, Ravus forced himself to keep trying. Even just to keep his **one** from falling into the same despair Ravus had been dealing with for months.

“Yes, alright.”

This new round of medication made Ravus sweat more. He was also itchy. The backs of his hands especially for some reason. Consistently uncomfortable. But he kept all his discomfort to himself—especially when he turned up pregnant after just a few weeks. 

Gladiolus squeezed Ravus as tight as he could when he found out. “I have a good feeling about this one!” 

Helpless against his **one’s** incorrigible optimism, Ravus smiled in return. “Me too,” he said. Although in truth he felt the same as all the other times.

The medication made Ravus more nauseous than usual. On top of that, his blood pressure was extremely low. If he sat up too fast he would get dizzy. It made working as a commander impossible. He needed to take a leave of absence from work. 

But Gladiolus told him that was fine. They were fortunate enough to be at peace right now. So no one would hold it against him. 

“Just take whatever you need, babe,” Gladiolus assured him. Smiling cautiously as they had both learned to do since they started down this road of trying to have children.

So Ravus did as the doctors told him. He submitted himself to total bedrest from the first week. Laying and letting Gladiolus and the rest of his pack mates support him however they could.

He passed a month like this.

Then one afternoon he woke up from a nap, thrashing in bed as his insides twisted in pain. When he threw back the blankets, he saw that his bed clothes and the sheets underneath him were stained a reddish brown color. 

Ah. 

The shortest pregnancy to date. 

Ravus did not know how he could still feel so hurt, so disappointed, so guilty (three children!). But he did. He felt it all again. Even worse now because he also felt the panic of certainty that it was never going to be any different. This was his reality. He must have done something horrible in life to deserve the pain of such a worthless omega body…

…but Gladiolus had not. If anything, Gladiolus deserved to have dozens of children. A huge family. Much better than what he could get from Ravus.

This time, because Ravus had been pregnant for only a month, he did not even need to go to hospital. He cleaned himself up, threw the sheets in the wash, left his bloody bed clothes in the hamper. Then he just sat at home, waiting to break the news to his **one** when he returned for the night.

Before Gladiolus even had a chance to walk in the door, Ravus blurted the truth. 

“I lost it.”

“…Huh?”

Ravus stared at Gladiolus with a set of mismatched, solemn eyes. “Our baby. I lost it today, Gladio. Again.” 

“You did? What? I mean are you…?” Gladiolus ran into the bedroom for some reason, clearly at a loss. He saw the way the sheets had been pulled. The bloody bed clothes.

“Oh.”

This time, Ravus expected Gladiolus to scream in rage. He was sure his mate was feeling just as frustrated, perhaps even more so. Gladiolus had every right to be angry, to curse at Ravus, to name him for the worthless male omega trash he was.

But instead, Gladiolus just quietly closed the door to their bedroom. After a few minutes, Ravus could hearing sounds of muffled crying from the other side. 

His alpha was crying.

Ravus wished he could cry too. He wanted to grieve for this lost baby like he had for all the others. But for some reason, he couldn’t. He had no more tears left. Just a deep sense of failure.

After a while, Gladiolus emerged. His eyes were red and puffy, but he did not look at Ravus as he passed him in the kitchen. The alpha just went straight to the stove and began cooking dinner. 

“What do you want to eat?” Gladiolus asked after he started boiling some water. “Stew sounds pretty good to me right now.”

Ravus stood up abruptly. No sense in delaying this. When Gladiolus turned to him with a question on his tear-stained face, Ravus announced, “I can be out of here by morning.” 

“…What?” Gladiolus fumbled with stove, turning it off as he stared inscrutably at his **one.** “What did you just say?” 

“I said, I can leave here tonight. Within the hour, if you prefer. I don’t have many things so packing should be simple—”

“Wait, what the fuck?” Gladiolus rounded on Ravus with look of betrayal painted across his face. “You’re saying you want out?” 

Surprised to see that Gladiolus had not expected this, Ravus faltered for a moment. “I…think it would be best. For you, at least.” 

“Uh-huh.” The alpha stalked toward the omega with the same intimidating posture he normally took only during a rut. “And you know what’s best for me now? How’s that?” 

Ravus growled from the depths of his throat. Wild. Stopping the alpha dead in his tracks. He had no strength to fight Gladiolus right now. And no desire to waste any more of this man’s precious time!

“It’s the truth!” Ravus cried, slamming his fist down on the table. “Gladio! I’ve given you nothing in this relationship except disappointment and hardship!”

He let those words resonate across the room. Who could say otherwise? From spotty, difficult heats to infertility, what had Ravus ever given Gladiolus in return for the love Gladiolus showed him? What kind of payment was Ravus’s inadequacy, for a man who deserved so much more than Ravus and his deformed body could give?

“I can no longer stay here and be a burden to you…” Ravus shook his head resolutely. “It’s too painful. You should find a woman that can give you what you want. It’s the only sensible thing at this point—”

“Stop.” 

Forgetting the way his omega had growled at him, Gladiolus closed the distance between them. He grabbed Ravus by the shoulders and shook him. “Stop! I don’t want to hear any more of that shit. You can’t honestly think…Ravus…”

When he trailed off, Ravus continued. Tears springing to his eyes at last. “I do! This is unfortunate truth, isn’t it?”

“No!” Gladiolus ran an exasperated hand through his own silk brown hair. “No, it’s not! That’s not how I feel at all! How can you even say that? Do you know me at all? Can’t you sense what’s going on in my head?"

Ravus didn’t want to admit that he had stopped trying to. Because he felt too much guilt.

As the moment stretched on uncomfortably, with Ravus standing stock still, much of Gladiolus’s anger deflated. He let out a deep breath and pulled Ravus in for the tightest hug he had ever given. Enough to squeeze the breath right out of Ravus’s lungs. In such a way that all thought left the omega for a moment. He had no choice but to withstand the embrace.

“Ravus…” Gladiolus eased up a bit and grabbed his **one’s** face to make sure they were eye to eye. “You are. Everything. Hear me? Everything.” 

The sincerity of those words poured into Ravus from all angles. Through their bond, through the uncompromising look on Gladiolus’s face. It was inescapable. Ravus had to feel it. 

And it broke him. Everything he’d been holding back for the past year came flooding to the surface. Quivering, he let the tears flow and stared back at his **one** with a look of sadness tinged with boldness. A look that only Ravus Nox  Fleuret, in all his glory, could achieve.

“I need you more than anything, Ravus. Do I want kids? Hell yeah. But only if I get to raise them with you by my side.” Gladiolus kissed Ravus on the lips. As hard as he could. “How can you not know…? I mean, damn it. I….it’s like….”

This was difficult for Gladiolus to say. But he did his best to struggle through.

“I wasn’t really alive before I met you, Ravus. You showed me…” Tears welled up in his own eyes as well. “…you made me feel…everything. All this. Every fucking thing I do, everything I feel, and all the stuff I want out of life…it’s all you, babe. I just need you.” 

Collapsing into a mix of pain and joy, Ravus curled into his alpha’s arms. Entangling their limbs. Wishing he could get lost inside Gladiolus and never come out.

His true home.

“Don’t ever say that you want to leave,” Gladiolus stuttered. “Please. My heart can’t take it.”

Sniffling, Ravus nodded against his alpha’s chest. “Alright…I won’t…”

“Don’t pull away from me when you’re hurting. I’m hurting too, okay?” Gladiolus cradled him carefully, peppering kisses to his head. “Let’s ride out all this hurt together, at least.” 

“I’m so sorry, Gladio.” Ravus fisted his alpha’s loose shirt in one hand. “I’m so, so sorry! I wish I could give you what you need…I wanted to give you a child so badly….”

“I know. Believe me, Ravus, I know. It’s not your fault.” They sunk into a sitting position on the floor. “You did everything you could. You went through all those treatments, again and again. Please. Don’t blame yourself. Please.”

“I…” Ravus did not know how else to feel. 

“How about this.” Gladiolus turned his omega’s chin upwards. “If you promise not to blame yourself than I promise to…try…not to blame myself either.”

“Wha—?” Shock coursed through the commander’s system. Ravus was appalled! How could Gladiolus possibly blame himself for all this hardship?! Especially when Gladiolus was more fertile than most anyone—

Gladiolus shook his head. Guilt surfacing on his own face now. The truth he had been holding back. “Because I wasn’t there for you. When they were…treating you like _that_. Back in the Empire. Fucking with your body even though they had _no right_ …” He sucked in breath through his teeth to calm himself. “I should have been there to protect you. I’m…a shitty alpha, I know that. But I’ll try to do better from now on, okay?” Sniffing, he tried to put on a smile. “I’ll never let you suffer alone again. Ever. I promise.”

“No, Gladio, you’re the kindest man I’ve ever known…” Ravus stroked the side of his love’s face. “You’re more than enough. You’ve given me such a beautiful life here. Something I never thought I would have…”

Now Gladiolus’s smile turned real. “Well, that’s only the beginning, man. We’ve still got plenty left to do together.”

When he closed his eyes, Ravus could see the picture in Gladiolus’s mind. A vision of them growing old together. Surrounded by children and grandchildren, pack mates and friends. Generations side by side. A loving life. 

Ravus liked what he saw. He wanted it just as much as Gladiolus did.

They held each other for a long time. Their feelings laid bare for both to experience. To kiss away. Anger and disappointment. Grief, above all else.

“You know…” Gladiolus said after a while. “Iggy and Prompto have been talking lately. Sort of asking the group for advice about this one thing.”

“Hm?” 

“Well, they’ve been looking into adoption.” Gladiolus heaved a sigh. “It makes sense for them, you know? Cuz they both really want kids too. Prompto’s talking about adopting a kid from Galahd, a war orphan probably. And so Ignis was asking Noctis and me for a reference he can give to the adoption agencies over there. They need people to vouch for them and stuff.”

Ravus listened curiously. He supposed it was the next logical step for Ignis and Prompto. They would certainly make great parents! Ignis with his practicality and Prompto with his fun-loving nature. Good compliments…

…then it occurred to him why Gladiolus was bringing this up now. 

Gasping, he searched his **one’s** face. If anything, Gladiolus just looked resigned. And a bit excited. 

“Are you certain?” Ravus asked breathlessly. “Are you certain you’re…alright with that?”

He knew the rules. The Amicitia name and Shield title could only pass to a blood relative. So if they adopted, Gladiolus would never be able to give their child the duties he had dreamed of. That must have been hard for the alpha to accept.

But Gladiolus just shrugged. “What. Adoption’s a great thing. Give a kid a good life. Get a chance to be parents. Share everything we have with a kid who really needs love. Besides, Iris will probably have kids of her own someday. She can raise them to be the next Shield—and shit, I’m sure her kids would be great for the job. If they’re anything like her.” 

Would Gladiolus be alright with that though? Ravus stared at his love, sensing that Gladiolus had been considering this option for a while now.

Hmm.

“We can adopt a kid from Tenebrae if you want,” Gladiolus added. “Sure there are plenty of kids who need a good home.” 

Of course, Ravus knew that was true. Orphanages teemed with children whose parents perished to Scourge back a few years ago. Ravus had tried to mitigate the problem when he worked for the Empire but. There were so many. 

Perhaps, if they really could not conceive a child on their own, the best option was to spread their happiness to an already living child. Someone who had lost their parents just as Ravus had when he was young.

“…I’ll think about it,” the omega answered. 

“Sure. No rush. I’m just throwing the idea out there.”

It was a lot to consider. But, Gladiolus was right. They still had a whole life left to spend together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst times! So much angst. Poor Ravus. The Suffering Boy. T_________T 
> 
> Thanks for reading. Next chapter is the last one, I think! Holy...is this real life? 
> 
> Side note: I wish there was a way to tag ahegao face without actually needing to have ahegao face as a central part of the porn. Because blackout heats = all kinds of ahegao face going on. And I'm pretty into that. Just saying.


	3. Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clouds pass. Eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter guyzzzz!! This one kind of reads like an epilogue. Because it's the last wrap up of this series.
> 
> And, bear in mind, this might be pure schlock. Hard to say, honestly.

**Chapter Three: Sun**

By the time she was two years old, Hope’s tantrums turned into all out battles. Fits of uncontrollable rage. She called upon her gifts and sent the palace itself into complete disarray—no one could contain her except her parents. And between the two of them, Ardyn fared much better than Noctis.

“That’s enough, Hope!” Noctis towered over his daughter, using every bit of kingly rage he had culled over the years. Unfortunately, there was staring down an entire army of pissed off Graleans, and then there was fighting with a two-year-old who did not want to stop playing and come in for dinner. 

One was much more difficult than the other.

“It’s 19:00!” Noctis held up his hands in exasperation. “You’ve had an extra hour of playtime today! It’s time to come in now.” 

“Uh!” Hope stomped her feet. She was playing in Aulea’s garden with her brother. As she stomped, whole chunks of earth rose up from the ground and flung themselves at Noctis.

The king warped out of the way just in time. Hope was throwing the ground at him now. So damn willful—Karus never gave them problems like this! He was always such an obedient child (even now he stood cowering behind his father, waiting out his sister’s tantrum).

“…Come on…” Noctis whispered under his breath. His frustration whittled down into a sense of defeat as he watched Hope pound her fists on the ground, wailing at the top of her lungs. “…who did you get all this from, anyway?”

Which one of them was to blame, Noctis wondered. Him or Ardyn. Who had propagated this demon spawn (that is to say, their beautiful daughter, who currently had leaves and grass stuck to every part of her body). 

And he knew the truth. They were both responsible. Yeah.

Not only was she willful, but Hope also possessed the strongest innate magic ability of any of them. She had mysterious control over the elements—water, wind, weather. The earth beneath their feet. Even fire, they were horrified to discover (she could snuff out a candle and relight it just by blinking, as if playing some kind of game). It was a wonderful and terrible power; magnified by the fact that Hope had still not yet uttered her first words. Developmentally delayed in her speech, Hope resorted to magic to convey her feelings. Her meltdowns became worse the older she got, the more established her desires became, and the less she could communicate with anyone else.

Magic was her first language. That much became clear.

Noctis sighed, rubbing his scraggly beard and trying to figure out his next plan of attack. Dear Astrals, how could he get this screaming two-year-old to come inside?

“Mmm-mmm!” Incensed beyond any point of rationality, Hope threw her hands up—a dramatic gesture—pulling every single leaf off every single tree in the garden. Leaving them suspended in midair.

“Hope…” Noctis warned. He really had nothing to threaten her with, plus she could not regulate herself now even if she tried. 

Sometimes the only thing they could do was wait out her tantrums. 

The garden’s trees stood bare. Green leaves climbed higher and higher in the sky. It all just seemed so unfair. And Noctis had already put in a full day of work (heavy was the crown, some days). He was too fucking tired to deal with this. 

“Noct.” 

Oh, thank Bahamut. Ardyn had finally arrived on the scene. In the same suit he had worn all day, to his occasional job as a guest lecturer at the local college. In his spare time, Ardyn had decided to write a few history books (it all started when Ignis recommended that journal to him during his first pregnancy). It startled him how uninformed Lucians were of their early years! So he set about to correct that. Also, Regis had encouraged Ardyn to share his knowledge with the world, whole-heartedly. When his father-in-law passed, Ardyn felt he owed it to him do so.

Noctis withered at the sight of his **one.** “Damn it, Ardyn…” he began to say, gesturing helplessly to their daughter. “She’s been like this all afternoon, I just don’t know…”

Of course, Ardyn figured as much. “Go inside,” the omega said, putting a comforting hand on his husband’s shoulder. “I’ll handle this.” 

“Nuh!” Hope screamed and dragged all the leaves to the ground in one clamoring rush. 

Truly frightened, Karus squeezed a little closer to his father. Sometimes he was really scared of Hope. Luckily Noctis chose that moment to take him by the hand. They ended up staying, if only because Noctis did not feel comfortable leaving Ardyn alone in a situation like this. (Hope had never actually hurt anyone before, but. The day was probably not far off. They knew that.) 

Ardyn clicked his tongue and brushed some stray leaves from his shoulders. Undaunted, he fixed his daughter with an impassable stare.

She frowned at her papa. Standing her ground. She even raised some more leaves, as if leveling a weapon.

Sighing, Ardyn calmly walked over to her. He concentrated every ounce of his own energy on Hope’s brow, staring at her with a look of such confident anger and intensity—one that could bring the Infernian Himself to his knees. And indeed did, a few hundred years ago. 

Hope’s lips quivered slightly. But she did not move a muscle.

Saying nothing, Ardyn growled in the back of his throat. A low humming sound he only unearthed when pushed to his absolute limit. He watched expectantly asHope’s gaze wavered. Staring into her matching golden eyes, Ardyn flung one arm out to the side. 

Startled, Hope lost concentration and the leaves fluttered harmlessly to the ground. Ardyn chomped his teeth as his growl reached an apex. 

It was true that Ardyn did not possess the same control over nature that Hope did. The leaves did not bend to his will. But. He knew how to bring his daughter to heel. That would suffice.

When Ardyn stood within grabbing distance, Hope’s composure finally shattered and she burst into tears. Forgetting about her pointless anger, conceding whatever ground her toddler self had managed to gain, she ran straight into her papa and buried her face in his legs. 

All the tension flew out of the room. The moment, and the tantrum, had passed. Thankfully everyone survived.

Ardyn scooped Hope up in his arms. “There, there,” he hummed, letting his face return to its normal lackadaisical expression. He brushed his daughter’s leaf-strewn hair away from her red, sobbing face and said, “Don’t get all worked up.”

Seeing that her papa was not mad at her, Hope sniffled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Without any doubt, the two of them shared a special bond. They did not need words to converse. Ardyn had given life to this child. He knew her thoughts like he knew his own, and he would always be there for her. Even when she was at her worst.

“Let’s go have some dinner, you naughty girl,” Ardyn chided. He patted her back soothingly and marched back to Noctis, who breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw Hope successfully de-escalated. 

“Yeah. Let’s do that,” the king said. A hint of that day’s first smile yet graced his face.

Before they went inside, Karus ran into the middle of the garden. He looked at all the destruction his sister had caused, feeling sad for the mangled flowers and discarded leaves. His hands thrummed with a golden light. When he closed his eyes, all he saw was his grandmother’s garden the way it used to be. Beautiful and full. 

While the rest of his family watched, the leaves and flowers righted themselves. Earth packed itself back the ground. Leaves danced back onto their branches. Flower petals uncurled and extended into full blossom. Everything swirled in a dazzling, pale yellow glow. The trees swayed as if disturbed by a passing breeze. 

The garden was healed. Restored to perfection. 

Karus opened his eyes and bounced back to his father. His red hair bobbed merrily through the air as he moved.

“All better, Daddy,” he announced. 

Noctis smiled at his five-year-old son. He kissed him on the cheek, brimming with love and pride. He offered to give his son a piggyback ride into the dining room. Karus happily agreed.

Their children’s powers were growing. Karus’s especially. Noctis and Ardyn had already discussed this—perhaps now was a good time. They wanted to take Karus to the local animal hospital and try his healing gifts on the animals there. They wanted to see what he was really capable of. To slowly train his skills so he could use them for more and more good. 

Really, they already knew. Their son would accomplish amazing things in this life.

_____________________________________________

Ravus flipped through the adoption brochure from Tenebrae he had requested. There was a lot of information packed into just three little pages. The adoption process itself seemed rather long and arduous. A preliminary interview. Then a home visit from a public agency. Then another interview. Then you needed to foster a child for at least a year before you could make a final decision on whether or not you wanted to adopt them. Foster with intent to adopt they called it. 

It would take years. The pamphlet made that very clear. Honestly, Ravus supposed that was fair. Taking in a child for life should not be a simple thing. Besides, Ravus knew himself and he knew that it would take time for him to be confident enough to call a child his own.

The smiling children’s faces on the brochure made him think. He would meet a child that could look at him, see him for what he was. Would they accept him? Would they take to a new life somewhere far away, Lucis no less? 

Would Ravus have accepted new parents in his youth, after his own were dead? 

It was a lot to consider. Deep in his heart though, a seed of curiosity and strange longing was planted. 

…He would have welcomed a new family. Ravus was certain of that. He would have loved to be taken in by parents that could give him love and support, at a time when he needed it most. Still, he felt guilty admitting that out loud. Was it a betrayal of his own parents? To be so willing to move on? He thought it must be… 

Regardless, the reality—life in Niflheim, as a captive—had been much different. Ravus lived with the ramifications of that every day. And he preferred not to linger too long on those memories.

After days spent pouring over the same brochure, Ravus came to a decision. He spoke with Gladiolus about it as soon as his mind was made up.

“I think we should try one more time,” Ravus told him. It was dark outside. Quiet. He spoke in a hushed tone, but his face and jaw were set. Determined. (Once Ravus made up his mind, he did not look back.) 

“Okay,” Gladiolus answered, fighting the urge to kiss him because he just looked so damn gorgeous in that moment.

“Let’s do the next treatment. The invasive one.” Ravus knew all about the procedure. He’d made his peace with it. “Leave it in fate’s hands. If…we still have no success, then…” He held up the brochure, now wrinkled from time spent in his hands. “…we go to Tenebrae. As soon as we are able. Start the adoption process.”

Gladiolus licked his lips. He nodded slowly at first—preparing for one last round of craziness; every one of Ravus’s pregnancies had been an emotional rollercoaster. But the beautiful look in his husband’s blue and purple eyes…Gladiolus was helpless against that gaze.

“Yeah. Alright,” he said. “Let’s do it. One more try. Go big or go home, right?”

“Yes.” Ravus glanced to the side. He was not feeling confident in the outcome of this next treatment, but. He wanted to do it. The only thing they hadn’t tried yet. 

Seeing that look, Gladiolus dragged Ravus into his arms. A great big bear hug, something he had decided he would never hold back from giving. For the rest of their lives—even if Ravus did not _love_ being hugged, at first, he definitely needed it sometimes. Gladiolus had it all figured out.

“Hnh,” Gladiolus chuckled, gathering Ravus’s shoulder-length hair to one side. Stroking the back of omega’s neck with one big thumb. “No matter how it turns out, I’m gonna love you to pieces. Got that?”

“Tch.” Ravus scoffed, but he settled into the embrace. Secretly (not so secretly, in fact) loving the attention. 

The alpha kissed the top of his head. “I’m so proud of you.”

Warmth flooded Ravus, from head to toe, in a glorious haze. But he still had to ask. “Proud?”

“Yep. Every damn day I’m so proud to be with you.” It was the truth. They could both feel it.

Overwhelmed, Ravus gave his body over to Gladiolus completely. Melting into his alpha’s arms, curling up against him like a satisfied cat. He wanted to ask how on Eos Gladiolus found it in himself to be proud of Ravus, after everything. But in a way, he knew the answer already. 

They were proud of each other. Just to have the honor of being mates. They were proud of everything they were. Together and separately. Children or no. Whatever happened. 

If anything, the trials of the past year had only made their bond stronger. Unbreakable at this point. 

It was a comforting feeling.

_____________________________________________

They scheduled the procedure for the following day. Ravus would need to be sedated—which he did not love, but was willing to endure—and Gladiolus needed to accompany him. Which he would have done regardless. 

Their emotions were running high. 

Ravus knew the purpose of this procedure. To inseminate him in such a way—the most optimal place in his uterus—that the pregnancy would stick. Hopefully make it last longer than any others. Although the success rate was low for male omegas (since their problems had more to do with hormones than anything, which the procedure could not assist), there was still a chance it would help Ravus carry his baby to term. 

When he came out of sedation, feeling as if he had just emerged from one of his disorienting heats, the doctor smiled at him. That same reassuring smile Ravus regarded warily.

“You’ve done well,” the doctor told him. “The procedure was a success. The best results we could have hoped for. How are you feeling?”

“…Fine,” Ravus answered, staring down at his body. He wondered if there truly was something different about this time. Or if, like all the others…

Then, on cue, Gladiolus came in to hear the results. And to help Ravus walk out on his own two feet. The alpha was pleased, but he was slightly worried by the glazed look in Ravus’s eyes.

“That’s normal,” the doctors assured him. “He’ll be back to his regular self in a day or so.”

Sure enough, a good night of sleep in his own bed and Ravus had successfully recovered. He and Gladiolus had not told anyone they were going in for the procedure. So Ravus went back to work the next day. 

He felt fine. The only pills he was taking were the every day ones; the hormone pills he had been on since he first turned. Nothing unusual. They were going slow. Trying to be as normal as possible. Doing anything else felt like a trap—it was too easy to get your hopes up when you started taking precautions. Better to act as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. They’d learned that.

Right on time, Ravus’s body showed that he was pregnant three weeks after the procedure. By now, Ravus was more than used to the strange addition to his anatomy—he’d even begun to feel more normal with it than without it, which should probably worry him. But. It was just…the presence of that feminine orifice made him feel calm, at peace with his own body. Reassured that for once everything was functioning like it should. At least for the time being. 

He kept those thoughts to himself, never sharing even with Ardyn what it felt like to have a vagina in those pregnant months. He did not want to learn that his feelings were unusual. Most male omegas were probably disgusted to bear such a likeness to women during this time, but Ravus…liked it. A lot. It gave him a quiet kind of pride to know that his body could achieve at least that much.

Emphasis on ‘quiet.’

The first two months passed without distinction. Privately, Gladiolus and Ravus rejoiced that they had gotten that far—longer the last time, anyway. By the time the third month was over (successfully passing the first trimester), Ravus was a bundle of nerves.

He would not let himself fall into the same trap. He would not hope. He _would not._

Now that Ravus’s stomach had begun to show, people guessed the truth. They tried to respect the couple’s wishes not to make too big of a deal out of it. There were no premature gifts or congratulating cards. Not this time. Just respectful nods and wishes of “good luck.” Ravus would allow that much, with nothing more than a polite nod in return. 

Don’t talk about it. That was the key.

…Dear Shiva, when had he gotten so superstitious? 

Then the fourth month passed. Then the fifth. 

In the sixth month, Ravus and Gladiolus could not hold back their smiles any longer. They had never come to the end of the second trimester before! At the very least, this was a groundbreaking new record. 

Ravus rubbed his swollen belly and tried to imagine the fetus inside. He’d seen the ultrasounds. He had a picture in his head. No matter what discomfort he experienced (the swollen extremities, the nausea, the dizziness), he did not care. He just wanted to give this tiny baby life.

“Hold on…” he whispered to the unborn child. Only when he was alone. “Just hold on. I’m here…”

He knew the baby could not hear him. But he liked to think it could _feel_ what he was saying. Like it could feel Ravus’s love and was comforted. That somehow Ravus’s strong desire to carry this baby to term made the baby better able to survive.

He wished. 

Gladiolus kissed Ravus’s stomach, whispering his own wishes to the baby. Nothing serious. Just gentle promises of how much the baby would love the world. Once the baby could see with its own eyes. 

They wished together.

______________________________

Towards the end of the sixth month, Ravus decided to take medical leave from his commander post. Partially because undergoing training exercises had become ungainly with a pregnant belly. Also because they had come to the point where the baby responded to Ravus’s movements. Kicking and swaying. A warning sign as much as it was a happy reminder of the child’s health. He did not want to overexert himself. That was in fact the last thing he wanted.

So, Ravus chose to spend the rest of his pregnancy relaxing in the Citadel. Since relaxation was a fairly new concept for him (the strange middle ground between total bed rest and active duty), the pack tried to find things for him to do. Ultimately, they chose to make him the default babysitter for Karus (Hope had her own personally trained nanny). All Ravus really needed to do was pick the kindergartener up from school and help him with his elementary homework.

The prince began reading at a young age. Not only that, Karus had a bizarrely strong recollection of Tenebraen high holidays. Not hard to figure out why. Karus listened to Ravus just as he listened to his own parents. Their pack bond was strong, and Ravus treated Karus like a grown up instead of a little kid.

Karus liked that.

One afternoon, in the first week of Ravus’s seventh month of pregnancy, the commander stood in the kitchen preparing a light sandwich for the prince. Karus had only just gotten home from school. No doubt the boy was hungry. Ravus spooned some peanut butter and jelly onto bread. He knew from experience that Karus preferred just a bit more jelly than peanut butter. Really, for a young man to have such a sweet tooth, where had he gotten that from—

Out of nowhere, Ravus felt a sharp stabbing pain in the center of his abdomen.

“Ah…!” he cried, hand flying to his belly automatically. He felt a small quiver inside—premature labor. It could be nothing else…

No.

Another wave of pain wracked his body, much worse than anything else he’d experienced before. Harsh contractions. The sandwich plate clattered to the floor, shattering loudly, and Ravus slid down onto his knees. 

He could not breathe. He could not think. The only thing he felt was a deep, gutting pain as if someone were punching him repeatedly. As if his body was trying to turn itself inside out. 

No….no! He couldn’t…! Not now! When they had come so far….!

Ravus clutched his belly, succumbing to panic as the pain worsened. He screamed as hard as he could across his connection to Gladio, demanding his alpha’s presence, unable to hold back the terror. 

“No…No, baby, don’t…” Ravus panted. He fell onto his side, half laying down on the kitchen floor. He wished he could move. He wanted to call an ambulance too, something…anything…

He needed help. 

“Help me!” he cried, not sure if there was anyone nearby who could hear him. Already he felt wetness pooling between his legs, blood most likely. Or water.

No, the baby could not be born now! At eight months it could still be viable, but seven was too early, too dangerous…!

He could not lose this child. He had felt its heartbeat inside his own body. He saw it as something living…he could not let it…!

Tears rushed down his face. His hands shook uselessly. The pain was unbearable now, but the panic was worse. He did not know what to do! How could he stop this from happening?

At that moment, wispy red hair and tiny footsteps approached. Karus, hearing the commotion (and also, in part, seeking out his after school snack), had wandered in from the next room. He saw his uncle on the floor and padded over, young face contorted in confusion. 

Ravus silently thanked the gods that someone had come. Even a child. “Karus…” he struggled to say, reaching one hand out to the boy in desperation. “My phone…get my phone…I need—ah!”

Another tremor overtook him. He gripped the edge of the counter for dear life.

Karus's blue eyes were shining, staring intently at Ravus’s stomach. He looked surprised. As if he were watching something play out in front of him. But he did not move a muscle.

“Karus, please!” Ravus knew he was running out of time. “Get help! I need…a doctor…it’s an emergency, please!”

Ignoring that, Karus walked slowly over to Ravus. His eyes were gleaming in some kind of sympathetic pain. Ravus froze—could this child, with his ability, somehow feel what Ravus was going through?

Pouting, Karus put his small hand on Ravus’s stomach. He closed his eyes and a golden light appeared just underneath his palm. 

It didn’t hurt. It felt…warm, but not the same as the usual feeling that came from sitting in a warm room. Ravus could feel heat just underneath his skin. A moving, searching presence. It would have been frightening, but Ravus instinctually felt safe. His body relaxed, unclenching from the harsh pain, underneath Karus’s healing touch.

Time seemed to slow down.

For a brief second, Ravus thought he could see what Karus saw. A young girl. Dark brown hair. But he could not see her face—

“Ravus!” 

When he opened his eyes, Ravus was met with the sight of his **one.** Gladiolus was holding him up by the shoulders, clearly panicked and out of breath. Had he run all the way here?

Disoriented, Ravus blinked and looked around the room. Karus knelt down next to him. A small smile on his young face. 

“Did you…?” Ravus asked the prince, not really believing it himself.

But the pain was gone. There was no more wetness between his legs. And his stomach was just as swollen as it had been moments ago. When Ravus concentrated, he could feel the presence of his unborn child inside him—still there.

“What happened?” Gladiolus shouted. He looked between Karus and Ravus, exasperated. “I thought you were….” 

“I’m alright.” Ravus ambled into a sitting position. Truly, nothing hurt. He placed a hand on his belly and felt a gentle kick. The child stirring, as it always did when Ravus sat up. “We’re…both alright, actually. I think…”

All eyes turned to Karus. Slowly, Gladiolus put the pieces together.

“All better?” the prince asked, reaching in to give Ravus a hug. 

Relief and amazement tugged at Ravus’s heart. Karus had saved them—it shouldn’t have been possible, but the truth was undeniable. They were fine. Karus’s healing abilities had given Ravus another chance.

The girl. Was that his…?

Gladiolus snatched Karus and give him the hug of his life. “Did you help your Uncle Ravus?” the alpha asked, tears brimming in his eyes.

“Yeah…” Karus struggled to get away. Too much hugging! “He was hurting so, I made it better. Her too.”

“Huh?”

Ravus nodded. He rested his forehead on Karus’s small back. He knew now exactly what he had seen. He could feel the truth pulling at his soul. 

He’d never much believed in prophecies and all that. Predictions of the future. But this. This could not be anything other than fate.

He thanked the Astrals for the blessing of Karus’s presence. If not for that child…well. He thanked Them a second time for good measure.

__________________________________________________

With that miracle (or was it a miracle? was it maybe just the natural outcome of everything that had happened up until that point? Pieces coming together?), Ravus was able to carry his baby to term. 

The child was born healthy after nine months. Labor was difficult, but Ravus almost could not feel the pain. He held on tight to the image he had seen in his mind’s eye. That child. He wanted to see her so very much—

The doctors placed her in his arms, wiggling and crying. Red faced. Purple eyes blinking up at Ravus, searching for him. Ravus pressed his daughter close to his chest and cried. Here she was. After so long waiting. She was here. Alive and ready to live.

His body had managed to give life after all.

Ravus might as well thank the Astrals every day for the rest of his life. He had been blessed. By fate or prophecy or whatever the hell else. 

Gladiolus wrapped his arms around them both. The alpha was past the point of pretending that he wasn’t crying. Seeing his daughter for the first time—she was beautiful. How could a little baby be that beautiful? It didn’t even make sense…

“Go ahead, Ravus, tell her,” Gladiolus murmured, kissing the side of his omega’s face. “Her name.” 

Sniffing, Ravus gently kissed his newborn daughter’s forehead. They’d discussed this before. The names were picked out well in advance.

“Sylva.”

If she had been a boy, they would have called her Clarus. But Ravus had secretly known all along that he was giving birth to a girl. And he could not be prouder to give her that name, his mother’s. He had been waiting to say that name again for all of his adult life. And now he finally had a joyous reason to say it.

“Yup,” Gladiolus agreed. He wiped the tears from his face, trying to pull himself together. “That’s our little girl. Sylva.”

“We love you.”

“I think she already knows.”

Ravus broke into a teary smile. “She should.”

__________________________________________________________

As years passed and Sylva grew into a young girl, she showed clear signs of her sires. Her hair was thick, wavy, and chestnut. Just like her father’s. Her purple eyes could not have been anyone other than Ravus’s. When she played, the only thing she wanted to do was play swords. Where she ended up the hero, of course.

Sylva got along well with her pack playmates, Karus and Hope. Hope suddenly began talking at age four. In full sentences, completely out of nowhere. When asked why she had never talked before then, Hope simply shrugged and said that she’d just never had anything important to say until then.

“I suppose that’s fair,” Ardyn allowed.

“Think so?” Noctis was not amused.

The three children made a good team. Karus was bullied a little bit in school—too sensitive for his own good. But Hope always came to his rescue. Sylva excelled in everything she tried. Academics, sports, preliminary training. She was the perfect student and the perfect athlete. Bringing accolades down onto the Amicitia family. 

Gladiolus and Ravus would have been proud of her no matter what. But they supported her in everything she tried.

In a few years’ time, Ignis and Prompto welcomed a young dark-skinned boy into their family. A Galahdan child named Chytna. Nyx greatly approved of their decision to adopt a Galahdan, and he vowed to teach Chytna everything about his history and culture. In a way, Nyx became like a third father to the boy. Giving Chytna everything he could to make him a strong warrior and a good person. The kind of person Nyx wanted to see in the world. (Not that he needed to work too hard; Ignis and Prompto were fucking great parents.)

More than that, Chytna made a great addition to the closeknit group of three playmates. Just like that, they became a group of four.

When Sylva was about ten years old, Ravus and Gladiolus finally revisited the idea of adopting a child from Tenebrae. They knew that they would never again go through the insanely grueling process of having their own child. But Gladiolus had always wanted a big family. And in his heart, Ravus never quite put down the notion of welcoming a troubled child into their home. 

They wanted to do it.

So they did.

First, they fostered a Tenebraen girl named Delia. She was seven when they met her. Pale-skinned and fair-haired. Her parents had perished from Scourge when she was four. Since then, Delia had been in foster care, passing year to year in different homes. She was a lovely child. Well-behaved and quiet. But she refused to get comfortable in any of her new homes. Always treating her foster parents with a bit too much respect. Distant. A bit cold, some said. It made her an unlikely candidate for adoption.

Ravus felt he understood her. Why would the child want to open herself up to more pain by accepting a new family right away? She had already been hurt once by tragic loss. Sure enough, she was protecting herself. Beyond that, being nothing but polite and respectable ensured that she had a low chance of being mistreated.

Delia was playing it safe. Ravus probably would have done the same.

They fostered her for two years. Gladiolus and Ravus made it very clear from the start that she did not have to treat them like parents. They just wanted their home to be a safe place for her. A place she could be herself when she felt ready.

Sylva loved being a big sister. She always tried to get Delia to play with Chytna, since they were the two youngest. It took them a long time to warm up to each other, but in the end, Delia and Chytna realized they had quite a lot in common.

The group of four became a group of five.

At the end of two years, Ravus and Gladiolus asked Delia if she would like to continue living with them. She said yes. Somehow, no matter how careful she had decided to be, the Amicitia house and the Citadel had started to feel like home. She loved it there.

They adopted Delia that very day.

Truthfully, they loved being parents. Ravus surprised himself by taking to motherhood like fitting a hand in glove. He doted on his daughters and raised them to be strong. At the end of the day, when they hugged and kissed him, showing Ravus that they loved him in return….there could be no greater gift in the world than that. He would fight for his family to the very last. To give them a good, happy life. However he could.

With two daughters, both of whom they loved with all their hearts, Gladiolus and Ravus thought about fostering a son. They were stable enough to take in a third child. Sure enough, when Sylva turned fourteen and Delia eleven, they fostered a Tenebraen boy (it meant a lot to Ravus that they still went to Tenebrae to adopt) named Bryden. He was six years old, but he had been classified as a “special case” years before.

Bryden had a smattering of behavior problems. To begin with, after his parents died as victims of a particularly grisly crime that Bryden himself had witnessed, the boy spent two years not speaking to anyone. Eventually, he spoke in whispers to his therapist and one of the social workers responsible for his case. He’d never spoken to any of his foster parents before.

Beyond that, Bryden had anger issues. School was difficult for him because he often refused to cooperate with teachers and became violent with the other students. He’d been sent home multiple times over the years for hitting and biting other people. Once, he’d even thrown a chair at a boy who he thought was laughing at him. 

They warned Gladiolus and Ravus that Bryden would not be an easy child. Nothing like Delia. But they felt ready for the challenge. Moreover, Ravus knew exactly how Bryden felt—he’d seen his mother killed in front of him as well. The aftermath of that…utter shock, waiting for another blow to come from any direction. Ravus was not surprised to hear stories of Bryden’s violent outbursts. 

He’d channelled his own rage into the Niflheim army. As a boy of six, what other outlet did Bryden have?

So, they took him on. They went slow. At first, they let Bryden take a a few weeks off from school. Just to adjust to the Amicitia house first. They showed him his new room, the toys he could play with that were his alone (Delia and Sylva promised not to touch them). They gave him space.

Bryden also had a lot of trouble sleeping through the night. He often woke up at odd hours, crying. Wetting the bed some nights. Each time, Gladiolus and Ravus took him to the bath and made it clear that they were not angry with him. That they just needed to clean up. It was nothing to be ashamed of. Ravus made him a cup of warm milk and honey and sat on the floor next to Bryden’s bed to help him get to sleep.

Once Byrden was sleeping through the night, at least mostly, they enrolled him in school. They spoke with the teachers beforehand and gave him strategies to use when he felt like he was going to lash out. The teacher set up a small space in her classroom that Bryden could go to when he was feeling upset. They tried to preempt his outbursts that way.

In addition, Gladiolus began training Bryden right away. The full gamut of martial arts preparation. To channel his rage into a positive place, and to make him feel strong. More prepared. Less afraid that he would be made to feel helpless again in the future.

It was not all smooth sailing; they had some setbacks. Some afternoons Bryden needed to be sent home from school because of an outburst. But after a year, Bryden was much more settled. He whispered to Ravus and Gladiolus now, even wrote some notes to his sisters to communicate. When another year passed, he began speaking normally. At home at least. It would take a while before he felt comfortable enough to speak in school.

They adopted him, of course. The day they saw him genuinely smile for the first time, they knew. He was part of the family. 

So, the Amicitias became a blended family. One biological child and two adopted children. Life was not easy, but it was good. More than any of them had hoped for. 

Their wishes were fulfilled.

___________________________________________________

As Karus and Hope matured into teenagers, then young adults, Noctis and Ardyn were forced into a difficult spot. Who would they choose to put on the throne? Karus presented as a beta early on, and Hope as an alpha when she was sixteen. They both had their weaknesses and strengths.

It was unusual for a beta to become king. However, Karus was technically the oldest. While Hope was a female alpha, she was born second, not automatically in line for succession. Beyond that, she had always struggled with her temper. Her magical control over the elements made her a wild card at times. She could use her powers for good, but if provoked, she might act out. Flinging fireballs at people. For show. Mostly.

So Noctis and Ardyn needed to make their decision. In the end, they chose Karus to be the next king. True, he was a beta. But he was level-headed and smart. He cared for people through and through. His healing powers grew exponentially over the years. And there were no repercussions for him, as there had been for Ardyn and most other Oracles.

“The Healer King,” Ardyn mused. Finally the world had one for the books.

They decided to put Hope in the Glaive. Her elemental powers and her penchant for fighting were better suited for protecting her beloved brother. As an alpha—and a mystical anomaly—she made a great leader in the Kingsglaive. Nyx was happy to give her his spot. And Chytna was not far behind.

Of course, Sylva was in line to be the next Shield. She would be serving Karus, which seemed to fit miraculously well. Sylva and Karus always had their own special connection. Slightly closer than friends as they matured into young adults. But, it took a while for Sylva’s dynamic to present itself.

Finally, at the age of eighteen, Sylva presented as an alpha. Hardly a surprise, considering Gladiolus’s bloodline produced almost nothing but alphas. Just a little late.

And when Karus laid eyes on Sylva as an alpha—his beautiful, clever, peerless Shield—he was lost. He presented as an omega right then and there, mere days after Sylva showed her own second gender. They were soulmates.

A bonded pair—King and Shield—alpha and omega. **Ones** that had come from the same pack. Unheard of in all of history. Far more than any mere coincidence.

Ravus was not surprised, though. He’d always suspected this possible future, ever since the day Karus rescued him. Not only had Karus saved their unborn child; he’d saved his future **one.**

They ruled well. Stronger than any other pair before them. It stood to reason that they first omega king would need a bonded alpha Shield to keep him safe. The people were satisfied with that.

As were their parents.

_______________________________________

Life stretched on. When they were old enough to look back on all their long years together, Ravus and Gladiolus could say they accomplished everything they set out to do. A happy life. A good, strong family. The promise of grandchildren. 

“Well done, Gladio,” Ravus remarked to his husband one afternoon, well into their twilight years. They were passing time in their garden, tending to the new crop of flowers.

“Hmm?” the former Shield replied. He was not sure he’d heard right. Besides, he’d been looking down at the soil, so.

“You’ve done quite well, my love,” Ravus repeated, flashing Gladiolus a satisfied smile.

Intrigued, Gladiolus struggled to his feet. He stood next to his husband and said, “Me? Well, thanks. You didn’t do such a bad job either, babe.” 

Ravus laughed lightly. He’d gotten so used to laughter over the years. “Yes. I quite agree.”

“Not that any of this is over,” Gladiolus reminded him. “Not by a long shot.” 

“Hmm, of course.” Ravus leaned back on his alpha’s shoulder and admired the setting sun. He saw the same sun every day, but he never stopped loving the view.

“It’s never over.”

 

 

 

The end. (For us readers, anyway.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life is hard, but sometimes it's pretty good :) :) :) :) :)
> 
> *puts hands together* For everyone who read these stories beginning to end...what can I say. You guys are the best ever in everything and I love you. It's been a crazy long journey. Thank you for following this series!! For those of you that commented...you're everything <3 <3 <3 These stories are as much yours as they are mine.
> 
> *throws confetti in the air* We made it! Yay! Sad but also happy. 
> 
> I love these bros and their stupid adorable kids.

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on tumblr!
> 
> Love you guys :D


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